In make it easier to understand how youcan get better fuel economy from your diesel engine, let’s go back to basics to give you a little more knowledge about the fuel itself.
By doing this it is easy to see how cost savings can be made and how a better fuel consumption rate (miles per gallon, or mpg) will give you an overall cheaper diesel fuel cost.
One of the very important points to acknoweldge is that a well maintained, smooth running engine is about the most important factor in achieving better fuel economy. Further, many of the problems that occur with diesel engines relate to fuel quality, which can occur in several ways.
1. It can vary from shipment to shipment
Even if you use the same vendor each time you fill up with diesel, there can be changes in the fuel they are providing. The diesel quality can change, even in a small way, with each shipment your vendor receives. The key variables are:
* Cetane: this is the level at which the fuel will self ignite, with acceptable levels being between 40 and 45. Because the levels can change with every delivery, the are not widely known. The starting and combustion roughness of your engin can be affected by the cetane level.
* The ‘weight’ or specific gravity of the diesel will affect the fuel’s heat content. Lighter fuels (Type 1) have a lower cloud point and is generally regarded as better in colder temperatures. The heavier diesel (Type 2) has good lubricating qualities, and if they are both the same price, the heavier fuel generally gives better fuel economy.
* The viscosity of the fuel governs the efficiency at which fuel travels through the high pressure parts of the injection pump. Type 1 will reduce your fuel economy because it tends to have more fuel leakage.
Purchasing your diesel from truck stops is generally regarded as the best way to ensure you are buying a quality product. These retailers would go out of business fast if they began to supply inferior fuel.
2. Using a fuel reformulator
After millions of miles of road tests around the world, there can be no doubt that using a fuel reformulator will reward you with better fuel economy resulting in cheaper diesel fuel costs.
These reformulators, like Ethos FR, should not be confused with ‘fuel additives’ – the type sold in automotive retailers. These are alcohol or gasoline based products that actually increase your fuel costs because of the quantity you need to add to each tank.
The main reason for treating diesel is to provide better lubrication, to ensure all the desired working parts of the engine are lubricated, running smoothly. Many drivers don’t realise that since low sulfur fuel was able to be used on road vehicles, the life expectancy of the fuel injection system has dropped by up to 25%.
The lubricating and cleaning esters in this fuel reformulator are show-stopping technology in action. Its use results in fuel burning more completely, and gives an appreciable net gain in mileage per gallon – meaning cheaper diesel costs overall.
Posts Tagged ‘Combustion’
Saving on Diesel Fuel
December 31st, 2009Halt Global Warming by Stopping Fossil Fuel Combustion
December 29th, 2009After years of warning the world about global warming and its dire consequences, Al Gore, the Nobel Prize winner, has finally taken the next, logical step. He is proposing a solution.
Mr. Gore has realized that conservation measures and “Cap and Trade” measures do not work. The world can be saved only, if we completely eliminate all carbon dioxide emissions during the next forty years.
Converting the electric power generating sector first, does make the most sense. All major technologies for generating electric power from renewable energy sources are in various stages of development. Installations using wind power, solar energy, geothermal heat, and marine power have been started up and are slowly gaining a measurable foothold.
At present, coal fired power plants generate the least expensive electricity. Therefore, market forces will never lead to the shutdown of the most egregious greenhouse gas emitters. Only legislative action can prevent the construction of any new, coal fired power plants.
We must also be aware that it will be very difficult to satisfy our growing electricity demand by building only windmill farms, solar plantations, and geothermal power plants. For many years to come, there will not be enough manufacturing capacity to build an adequate number of electric power plants using renewable energies. Initially, the capital costs of these plants will be high, risks for meeting rated output will be well above average, and elevated maintenance costs will be a common experience.
We also need to address a few unresolved technical issues. The most pressing one is the fact that both wind power and solar power can supply energy only on an interruptible basis. Electric power is a fleeting commodity and we have not yet developed technologies that are capable of storing large amounts of electric energy.
It seems unavoidable that nuclear power generation must assume a more substantial role during the next decades. Nuclear power has become safer and public resistance to nuclear power plants is slowly receding. Nuclear power plants can be installed faster once we begin to rely more on standardized reactor designs.
Nuclear reactors with smaller capacities need to be built as replacements for coal fired plant boilers. Huge amounts of capital and much time can be saved if existing coal plants can be retrofitted with steam produced in nuclear reactors to replace coal fired boilers. Steam turbines, generators, substations, administrative buildings, and cooling towers can continue their operation with only minor performance reductions.
This new type of reactor must be designed to be absolutely safe by installing both passive and redundant safety systems. Retrofit reactors should become available in a very few, standardized designs and in sizes that fit up with the predominant sizes of coal fired boilers in use.
While the US will be replacing, retrofitting, or shutting down its fossil fuel fired plants, it is an opportune time to prepare the US to regain its independence from foreign oil imports.
Very soon, such activity can save the US more than one trillion dollars annually. Past experience shows that petroleum prices and consumption of transportation fuels will maintain their unstoppable growths.
Ideally, the world will continue using its fleets of cars, trucks, trains, ships, and airplanes. Ideally, the world will keep its oil refineries operating and will preserve the huge distribution systems that deliver high quality liquid fuels to all corners of the world. Replacement of transportation fleets, oil refineries, and liquid fuel distribution systems will cost too much and may break the economies of even the richest countries.
We must realize that the world cannot live for more than a few weeks without transportation of foods, goods, and commodities. Famines, riots, and economic upheavals will become unavoidable consequences of the lack of plentiful and affordable transportation fuels.
To protect against such looming, economic disasters, the US must take the lead and learn how to produce petroleum substitutes from biomass. Recent events have taught us that we must never again abuse arable lands to make ethanol or diesel from food crops.
Instead, we must find plant species with very high energy contents and must grow these plants on arid and infertile lands. By using desalinated water and novel industrial farming techniques one can grow enough biomass to supply the entire world with transportation fuels for several centuries. Arid lands are abundant. Best of all, making petroleum substitutes from renewable biomass sources will not have to cost more than $50 per barrel.
Building plants for the domestic production of electric power and of transportation fuels from renewable energies will make the US strategically more secure, will make us economically stronger, will reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by one quarter, will create a huge number of jobs, and will pay for itself by producing large, domestic revenues for many decades to come.
The US must lead the world by example. No other country has the capabilities and the resources to rebuild its energy supply systems.
Easily Run Car on Water to Slash Fuel Costs
December 28th, 2009With rising costs of fuel these days, many drivers have reduced their consumption by switching to cheaper forms of fuel, or have completely done away with cars altogether. As the demand for gas is constantly on the rise, most road users are not able to accommodate to the soaring fuel costs as they pose as a huge financial burden on them. Thus, there is a need to find a way overcome this predicament despite the high costs that prevail. Research and studies have shown that one of the best and most environmentally friendly ways to do so is to run cars using water. Yes, you can easily run car on water to slash fuel costs today! This is no magic trick, but the mere work of science. The advancement of technology has enabled us to develop a technique called Electrolysis, which separates Oxygen from Hydrogen in water. This simple yet crucial step is fundamental to generating energy for the car to run. The Hydrogen produced then undergoes combustion, burning of the gas, to produce energy to propel the car forward. This entire process can be done simply by attaching a conversion kit to the side of the car’s engine, without much modification to the entire vehicle. The conversion kit required can be made easily and quickly by almost anyone. Whether you are a housewife with 3 kids or a retired elderly folk, constructing this device can be done without much mechanical experience possessed. So, even without much technical knowledge, you can cut costs by utilizing this technology and benefit from the massive savings made. Using pure tap water, you will be able to increase your gas mileage by more than 50% each time. Your consumption of gasoline will therefore be drastically reduced, allowing you to make large savings of up to thousands of dollars each year. As such, your car will be able to run for longer distances using the same volume of fuel at a lower cost. You will also find that the power of your car’s engine has improved, and that it is able to give you a smoother drive. Comparing the prices of today’s fuel with that of water, it is clear that using this device would be a steal. Not only will you be able to make large savings, but also protect the environment at the same time! Imagine the amount of toxic gases emitted each time you drive a car that runs on petrol or diesel. These gases are harmful to our bodies and are contributing factors to global warming today. As such, running a car on water instead would be a wise and ethical choice to make, when deciding on how you wish to fuel your car. Rounding off, running a car on water will enable you to slash your fuel costs drastically as well as allow you to protect the environment. The entire installation process is quick and does not require you to spend much. These are therefore some of the reasons why thousands have switched to this method to power their cars today.
