PRIN. OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES - OD1619 LESSON 1/TASK 2
c.
Advantages.
(1) The diesel engine is much more efficient than a gasoline engine due to the
much tighter compression of the fuel and air mixture. The diesel engine produces
tremendous low-speed power, and gets much greater fuel mileage than its gasoline
counterpart. This makes the engine very suitable for large trucks.
(2) The diesel engine requires no ignition tune-ups because there is no ignition
system.
(3) Because diesel fuel is of an oily consistency and is less volatile than
gasoline, it is not as likely to explode in a collision.
d.
Disadvantages.
(1) The diesel engine must be made very heavy to have
enough
strength
to
withstand the tighter compression of the fuel and air mixture.
(2) The diesel engine is very noisy.
(3) Diesel fuel creates a large amount of fumes.
(4) Because diesel fuel is not very volatile, cold weather starting is difficult.
(5) A diesel engine operates well only in low-speed ranges in relation to
gasoline engines. This creates problems when using them in passenger cars, which
require a wide speed range.
e. Usage.
Diesel engines are widely used in all types of heavy trucks, trains,
and boats.
In recent years, more attention has been focused on using diesels in
passenger cars.
f. Multifuel Engine (figure 30 on the following page).
The multifuel engine is
basically a four stroke cycle diesel engine with the capability of operating on a
wide variety of fuel oils without adjustment or modification. The fuel injection
system is equipped with a device called a fuel density compensator. Its job is to
vary the amount of fuel, keeping the power output constant regardless of the fuel
being used.
The multifuel engine uses a spherical combustion chamber to aid in
thorough mixing, complete combustion, and minimized knocks.
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