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These innovations include, most notably, diesel powered engines and generators. Pioneered by Rudolf Diesel, diesel power seems to constantly be evolving, most certainly faster than the innovations of a hundred years ago.
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Over the last several decades, numerous attempts and successes have been made to better improve the overall efficiency of the diesel engine. Most of these modifications somehow involve the ignition of power within the engine, which is produced from the combination of oxygen and fuel. This concoction eventually produces the necessary energy to ignite the engine.
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In contrast, gasoline engines use a spark plug in order to ignite the process. In a diesel engine there is no such thing as a spark plug, in fact, the ignition process is performed directly as oxygen is allowed into the combustion chamber. As it does so, the oxygen is then compressed and heated to a temperature over 1000 F. As fuel is injected into the combustion chamber via a prechamber, the heat inside instantaneously ignites the fuel expanding the air in the chamber, which naturally moves the pistons inside. This momentum then drives the crankshaft. Small drops of fuel are also released in the pre-chamber to keep the engine running. The more evenly these droplets are used, the more fuel economy and overall efficiency the engine will have.
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At the forefront of diesel engine innovation, are companies such as Caterpillar and Cummins, which provide significant advancements in technology to the industry via their research and development departments. While such companies are doing what they can to further the advancement of engines and diesel generators, it is important to reflect on the innovations that have been made up to this point.
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Recently there have been even greater modifications to the diesel engine combustion chamber, including those that achieve optimal combustion rates, which ultimately provide greater power and better fuel economy with fewer fuel emissions.
Sound modifications have also been made to the diesel engine, including sound attenuation alterations to reduce the noise level that the engines put out and are subsequently synonymous for. Such alterations include fitting ceramic, and other sound wave absorbing materials to noise pockets in the pre-chamber.
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Fuel Composition
With the high contents of sulfur in diesel fuel, there is often a presence of elevated amounts of particle matter in the engine during the combustion process.
These particles can clog certain areas of the engine and really hinder overall performance. Thanks to the government mandates and continued research and development of this issue, advancements have been made to lower the amount particle matter, creating a form of diesel fuel with lower amounts of sulfur, which naturally results in fewer fuel emissions from exhaust.
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Furthermore, the transition of many diesel engines to digital control has provided improved monitoring of fuel and coolant levels, as well as engine oil, temperature, and battery life. The purpose of using a digital control for such monitoring is primarily due to the high amounts of manual effort it takes to adjust and correct engine malfunctions. What's more, in the case of such a malfunction, analog controls only warn of an impending problem, but do not provide the specific details of what is wrong and how to fix it. This can be a frustrating problem for many involved with the operation of diesel engines and generators.
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Such notification, or a lack thereof, may suffice in smaller facilities and on a less critical scale, however, when lives and livelihoods are on the line, digital controls are much more helpful than a mere light-up notification. Using, in some cases, hundreds of digital alarms and notifications specific to a number of different pinpointed issues, primarily makes a diesel engine run smoother. Additionally, such digital technology also makes the operator's job much simpler, especially with the furthered integration of the Internet. With the increased reliability that digital controls bring, diesel engines are able to continue operation even in the face of a mechanical issue, thus limiting any possible downtime in a facility.
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If this is not reason enough to praise digital controls, reduced fuel emissions, along with the overall efficiency of adjustments to the engine fuel rate and timing only further the argument for their use. Also, the voltage amount and output frequency features better stabilization when using digital controls.
Closing on the topic of digital controls, it is important to note the intelligent nature they posses in order to carry out proper fuel rate functions during the acceleration process. This, among the many other highly intelligent digitally monitored functions, such as gradual acceleration during rated speed, make digital controls necessary for the highly intuitive equipment used across a wide range of jobs and industries.
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In the end, the temperature is then lowered, thus reducing the formation of further Nox. Also previously mentioned, SCR is used as a method of converting NOx so that it is not as harmful to the atmosphere. Long used in commercial businesses, the SCR process is now being implemented with diesel engines and generators, reducing fuel emissions by as much as 95 percent and receiving praise as an environmental improvement.
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Conclusion
The advancements in diesel generator sets and engines have begun to take some serious strides in recent years and in a number of different aspects. Whether it is with preventive maintenance or fuel emission reduction, we have certainly come a long way since the methods of the steam engine and the industrial revolution. While the individual advancements of digital controls, fuel emission treatments and engine modifications have undoubtedly been remarkable; the grouping of all diesel engine related advancements has proven to hold more effect on industry than any lone development, collectively bettering the use of diesel.
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At Worldwide Power Products, we specialize in power generation equipment including over 100 new and used engines and generator sets for the industrial, marine, and petroleum industries.
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