Assignment 7

Diesel-powered trucks are a target for conversion to natural gas.

Dig deeper into this subject to find out what has happened to bring
this about

Diesel Fuel
Diesel fuel is a mixture of hydrocarbons obtained by distillation of crude oil.
Diesel fuel in general is any liquid fuel used in diesel engines, whose fuel
ignition takes place, without spark, as a result of compression of the inlet air
mixture and then injection of fuel. Diesel fuel is a mixture of hydrocarbons
with boiling points in the range of 150 to 380C which are obtained
from petroleum.

Petroleum crude oils are composed of hydrocarbons of

three major classes which are paraffinic, naphthenic (or cycloparaffinic) , and
aromatic hydrocarbons.

Natural Gas
Natural gas is a fossil fuel formed when layers of buried plants, gases, and
animals are exposed to intense heat and pressure over thousands of years.
The energy that the plants originally obtained from the sun is stored in the
form of chemical bonds in natural gas.
Usage of Natural Gas

Natural gas has a multitude of industrial uses, including providing the

base ingredients for such varied products as plastic, fertilizer, antifreeze, and fabrics.

Because natural gas burns cleaner than gasoline or diesel, many

companies and municipalities are deploying fleets of natural gaspowered cars, trucks and buses to reduce emissions.

There are approximately 142,000 natural gas vehicles operating on

American roads
Natural Gas Powered Trucks

Switching to natural gas can lead to significant fuel cost savings.

The cost of diesel continues to rise, lower cost natural gas fuel prices
remain relatively stable and considerably less expensive.

Freightliner Trucks offers one of the only conventional natural gas

truck solutions in the industry.

We always wondering why trucks use diesel as an ignition for their engine to
move. There are five reasons why truck use diesel;

1) Diesels get great mileage. They typically deliver 25 to 30 percent better

fuel economy than similarly performing gasoline engines. Diesels also can
deliver as much or more fuel economy than traditional gasoline-electric

hybrids, depending on the models involved and whatever rapidly developing

automotive technology achieves.
2) Diesel has more energy content per gallon than gasoline, and burns at a
more sustained rate

which produces more torque.

3) Diesel fuel is one of the most efficient and energy dense fuels available
today. Because it contains more usable energy than gasoline, it delivers
better fuel economy.
4) Diesels have no spark plugs or distributors. Therefore, they never need
ignition tune-ups.
5) Diesel engines are built more ruggedly to withstand the rigors of higher
compression. Consequently, they usually go much longer than gas-powered
vehicles before they require major repairs
6) Because of the way it burns fuel, a diesel engine provides far more torque
to the driveshaft than does a gasoline engine. As a result, most modern
diesel passenger cars are much faster from a standing start than their gaspowered counterparts. Whats more, diesel-powered trucks, SUVs, and cars
also can out-tow gas-powered vehicles while still delivering that improved
fuel economy.
Disadvantages of diesel engine

More expensive

It expensive both in manufacturing (due to high work load) and also in

maintenance.

More massive
This because it requires larger and stronger engine to withstand the
higher combustion pressures for ignition.

Diesel cannot operate as quickly

This is because the rev limit is lower. Getting the fuel-air mixture into a
diesel engine is more difficult

Power output can be affected by the temperature of the fuel.

At lower temperature, wax in diesel fuel begins to solidify into crystals
that can block the fuel flow through filters, lines and injectors which
can lead to fuel starvation or no-start conditions.
At higher temperature above 100F(38C) that can thin out the diesel
fuel and reduce power output.
At higher temperature above 150F(66C) diesel fuel loses much of its
lubricity ability.

More noisy
The noise produced by a diesel engine is a combination of combustion
and mechanical noise
Combustion causes a rapid heat release and a rapid rise of combustion
chamber pressure which lead for the knock that is very audible in
diesel engine

Contribute to pollution
Engines that run on diesel tend to emit more particulates like soot and
nitrogen oxides, which contribute to smog formation.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), because

diesel has a higher carbon content, it also emits more carbon dioxide
per gallon of fuel consumed when compared to gasoline.

Advantages of natural gas vehicles

Reduce
-

NGVs are safer

- Fuel storage tanks on an NGVs are thicker an stronger than
diesel tanks

Natural gas costs are lower than diesel

- On average, natural gas costs one-third less than diesel
- In Malaysia, NGV is 38% cheaper than the Ron 95 petrol

NGVs have lower maintenance costs

- Because natural gas burns so cleanly, it results in less wear
and tear on the engine and extends the time between tuneups and oil changes

Availability of natural gas deposits

- There are huge amount of natural gas deposits available
mainly due to the fact that natural gas has not been used as
much as petroleum
- Although a non-renewable resource, natural gas deposits will
not be depleted in our lifetime

environmentally harmful emissions

Reduce carbon monoxide emission by 97%
Reduce carbon dioxide emission by 25%
Reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 35%

Disadvantages of Natural Gas Vehicle

High Cost

Buying a natural gas vehicle will be more expensive than a petroleum

car as they are not as popular and readily available.

Speed
Natural gas vehicles are not as fast as their gasoline counterparts.

Availability of Natural Gas Stations

Because natural gas vehicles are not that popular, there are only a
select few CNG stations available to the owner of such a car.

Tanks
The tank is huge and, as it is normally installed in the trunk, you will
have basically no trunk space available afterwards.

Performance
Natural gas vehicles have less performance when it comes to the
amount of gas used in relation to the mileage of the car.

Safety

Natural gas is stored in a pressurized fuel tank in your vehicle which is

a big safety concern.

In spite of disadvantages, its entire process of production, refining is best

among all fossil fuels. It proves to be less harmful to environment when it
comes to pollution. Thus, it is certainly better than diesel