Article Advise

submitted: May 15th 2008 | by: Hispanic | Total views: 3 | Word Count: 376 | |

With the increasing price of fuel today, people are looking for the cheapest fuel available. This distinction goes to diesel fuel, which costs less than unleaded and premium fuel. As a result, more and more people are buying cars that run on diesel. In countries where fuel consumption is high, diesel fuel is an extremely popular choice for powering cars. People buying new cars nowadays have to take fuel costs into account, which is the main reason why more people are asking for cars that run on diesel when they enter the showroom. In addition, because of higher fuel costs, people are turning to the use of motorcycles and scooters, which usually run on diesel fuel. This means that countries like China, which has millions of scooters and motorcycles on its streets, continue to receive and consume more diesel fuel.

What is diesel? Diesel is a fractional distillate of fuel oil, usually petroleum, which is used to power engines. It is a mixture of hydrocarbons that are obtained from the distillation of crude oil at temperatures of 200 to 350 degrees Celsius. Diesel produced from petroleum is sometimes called petrodiesel to distinguish it from other diesels that are derived from other sources.

The main reasons for the shift in people's fuel preference are diesel's price and efficiency. Diesel fuel has a density of 850 grams per liter, which is higher than gasoline's 720 grams per liter. It also releases 40.9 mega joules per liter when it burns, compared to the 34.8 mega joules of gasoline. Another advantage it has over gasoline is that it is cheaper to refine diesel. This means that not only does diesel gets you farther on one tank, it also costs less per liter.

The problem with diesel fuel is that when it is burned, it gives off more pollutants, such as sulphur, compared to gasoline. This has led countries, especially the United States and Europe, to impose higher emissions standards for diesel-run vehicles. As a result, diesel costs higher than gasoline in some places because of the added costs of complying with the standards.

Despite this disadvantage though, diesel continues to be a popular choice for fuel today. And with prices of fuel rapidly increasing, it doesn't look like this will change anytime soon.

About the Author

I am glad to have a diesel fuel car, it's more economical and practical to use.

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