ABSTRACT
The diesel engine was invented by Rudolph Diesel, who first exhibited his engine in August 1893. Diesel engines are durable and efficient. Most of the diesel engines in commercial vehicles are direct injection engines, in which the fuel is directly injected into the cylinder and burned in a combustion chamber above the piston. Thermal efficiencies for gasoline engines are on the order of 24%, whereas diesel engines can reach as high as 43% thermal efficiency. Except for the calorific value or energy content, the properties required for the hydrocarbon fuels used in diesel engines differ significantly from those used in gasoline engines. Cetane number, density, viscosity, low-temperature properties, sulfur content, aromatic content, volatility and boiling range make up the essential characteristics of diesel fuel necessary for satisfactory operation of the diesel engine. Boiling range is defined by the initial boiling point and final boiling point in the distillation curve.
