How is Diesel made?

Diesel is a by-product of crude oil. Crude oil is extracted from the earth and refined into many different products. These are some of the more common by-products or crude oil: Petrol, Jet A1 Fuel and kerosene to name but a few.

Diesel is different to petrol in its smell, appearance and texture. Diesel is oilier than petrol and hence evaporates slower than petrol. Often it is referred to as Diesel oil due to its oily texture. The boiling point of diesel is actually higher than that of water.

Diesel is heavier then petrol because of the quantity of carbon atoms and the length of the chains of these atoms. This is the reason that diesel has a more oily texture and evaporates at a slower rate. Diesel is less refined than petrol and due to the higher energy density associated with diesel, a diesel engine is more efficient than the equivalent petrol engine. Hence a similar capacity petrol and diesel engine will get substantially different millage on the same amount of fuel.

Diesel powers a variety of different applications from power generators to ships. Roughly 94% of all freight is conducted using diesel fuel. The efficiency and availability of Diesel at the current time has lead to a hugely diesel dependant economy world wide.

The advantages of using diesel over other fuel types are as follows: Diesel releases less carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide than other fuels. But, diesel does emit more nitrogen and soot which is a leading factor in the cause of acid rain. Whilst there are always going to be pro’s and con’s to all fuels, the development of Diesel engines has come a long way in recent years which will hopefully in the near future get to a sustainable point with the environment and economy.

The Science:

Diesel is produced through the partial distillation of crude oil between the temperatures of 200°C and 350°C. The density of diesel is about 0.85 kilograms per litre, which roughly equates to 18% higher density than regular petrol.

Diesel is composed of about 75% saturated hydrocarbons and 25% aromatic hydrocarbons. The average formula for diesel fuel is C12H23 but can range.


Biodiesel:

Whilst biodiesel is becoming more and more prominent in the markets throughout the world, Bundu Power does not offer warranty on engines running biodiesel. The decision to revoke warranties on the basis of the fuel type used is made by the supplier of engines to Bundu Power and hence cannot be changed in anyway by Bundu Power. This being said, we do not foresee any problems running a generator on Biodiesel should the need or want arise. In order to prevent the voidance of warranty however it is advised that the generator is run for its first 1000 hours or first year (the standard Bundu Power warranty period) on standard diesel to avoid the loss of any form of warranty.