GOTR - Diesel Facts
We recently published an article about diesel fuel and heard from a number of you that had questions about Diesel. So in an attempt to address your questions, dispel rumors and publish the 411, we bring you diesel facts!
Clean diesel technology combines clean diesel fuel, advanced engines, and effective exhaust-control technology into a complete package that is more fuel efficient, environmentally friendly and more fun to drive (can you say Torque Please?). We call this triple-punch, diesel-advantage good, clean, fun.
Fuel: Refiners have lowered the sulfur content in diesel fuel by 97 percent from previous blends, cutting emissions by 10 percent and, when combined with new engines and exhaust treatment, reduces emissions by more than 95 percent.
Engine: Advanced technologies - electronic controls, common rail fuel injection, variable injection timing, improved combustion chamber and turbocharging - make today’s diesel engines cleaner, quieter and more powerful.
Exhaust Control: Traps that collect fine particles and catalytic converters that reduce ozone-forming compounds and particles, further lower engine emissions.
GOOD
Clean diesel-powered vehicles average 30 percent better fuel economy than gas powered equivalents.
Better fuel economy means fewer trips to the pump.
Clean-diesel passenger vehicles are being introduced in 2008 that meet emission standards in all 50 states. Initially, they are being introduced by Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen. Joining them shortly will be Acura, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, GM, Mitsubishi, and Nissan.
Clean
Clean diesel engines reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 percent.
The EPA estimates that if one-third of U.S. passenger cars, pickup trucks and SUVs ran on diesel, the U.S. could save as much as 1.4 million barrels of oil per DAY! That is equivalent to nearly 12 percent of our oil imports.
Today’s diesel engines are clean, with minimal impact on overall air quality issues by having only:
o Two percent of carbon-monoxide emissions.
o Less than three percent of hydrocarbons.
o Three percent of sulfur dioxides.
o Four percent of particulate matter.
FUN
Diesel cars are more powerful than their gasoline equivalents.
Diesel engines offer, on average, a 50 percent increase in torque, an element of power, allowing diesel-powered cars to accelerate faster, especially on highways and hills, and to pull more weight.
Diesel racecars, such as the Audi R10 and VW Jetta, particapte in racing events around the world including Le Mans and Jetta TDI Cup.
Sources: Diesel Technology Forum and U.S. Department of Energy
Ultra-Low Sulphur Diesel fuel explained
via - How Stuff Works
What is Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) fuel? In a nutshell, it’s cleaner diesel. Ultra low sulphur diesel fuel has been refined so that its sulphur content is 15 parts per million (ppm) or less. This is 97 percent cleaner than the standard highway-use diesel fuel sold in the US, which contains an average of 500 ppm of sulphur. Sulphur, a natural part of the crude oil from which diesel fuel is derived, is one of the key causes of particulates or soot in diesel. Soot is the main culprit of diesel engines’ noxious black exhaust fumes, and is among the prime contributors to air pollution. The move toward ULSD is aimed at lowering diesel engines’ harmful exhaust emissions and improving air quality.
ULSD fuel has been the standard in Europe for several years. In the U.S., the changeover process began in June 2006, when the EPA enacted a mandate requiring 80 percent of the highway diesel fuel produced or imported to meet the 15 ppm standard. The new ULSD fuel went on sale at most stations nationwide in mid-October 2006. Both diesel fuels will be on sale for the next few years, with the goal being a gradual phaseout of 500 ppm diesel. By December 2010, all highway-use diesel fuel offered for sale in the U.S. must be ULSD fuel. (ULSD is not to be confused with biodiesel, which is diesel derived from biological ingredients such as plant oil or animal fat and usually blended with standard diesel fuel.)
ULSD fuel will work in concert with a new generation of diesel engines that will begin arriving for the 2007 model year. Ideally, ULSD will enable the new generation of diesel vehicles to meet the same strict emission standards as gasoline-powered vehicles. The new engines will utilize an emissions-reducing device called a particulate filter. The process is similar to a self-cleaning oven’s cycle: a filter traps the tiny particles of soot in the exhaust fumes. The filter uses a sensor that measures back pressure, or the force required to push the exhaust gases out of the engine and through to the tailpipes.
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