Diesel Fuel: 4 Cool Facts For Your Business

Think you know everything about diesel fuel? We’ll see about that! Check out these facts about the fuel:

1. Diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline engines. In an average diesel engine, about 40 percent of the fuel burned actually moves the vehicle down the road; the rest of the energy is lost to engine and driveline inefficiencies or used to power vehicle accessories. That may seem like a low number, but not when you consider that gasoline engines can only achieve efficiencies ranging from 12 to 30 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
2. It’s cleaner than ever. Rising EPA standards – including mandates for the use of ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) in both on-road diesel and off-road diesel – have made today’s fuels cleaner than ever. Modern diesel engines manufactured today are also cleaner-burning than at any point in history. The EPA is constantly working to reduce exposure to the hazards of diesel exhaust from older engines, too, funding projects that reduce diesel emissions from existing vehicles.
3. It works best at moderate speeds. A diesel engine reaches peak power at speeds below 65 miles per hour. Depending on the vehicle and diesel engine size and specs, it’s best to keep a diesel engine running below 2000 revolutions per minute (RPM) to maintain peak power (gasoline engines, by contrast, require much higher RPM – some as high as 6,700 – to achieve maximum horsepower and acceleration).
4. Diesel engines don’t use spark plugs. A diesel engine injects fuel into a highly compressed air; heat already present within the internal combustion chamber ignites the fuel. In a gasoline engine, by contrast, gas is mixed with air to make vapor, which is then compressed by a piston and ignited by a spark plug). In cold weather, however, diesel engines may need to use a heating device called a glow plug to keep compressed air temperatures high enough to ignite the fuel.

Need high quality diesel fuel for your construction project, farm, fleet, plant or generators? W.H. Riley & Son delivers. Contact us today to learn more about reliable on- and off-road bulk diesel delivery in Massachusetts and northern Rhode Island!