Diesel

This article is about the fuel. For other uses see diesel (disambiguation).

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Diesel is a petroleum product used as a fuel. As a hydrocarbon mixture, it is obtained in the fractional distillation of crude oil between 250°C and 350°C at atmospheric pressure.

Diesel is identical with heating oil, used in central heating[?]. In both Europe and the United States taxes on diesel fuel are higher than on heating oil, and in Europe, heating oil is marked with dye and trace chemicals to prevent and detect tax fraud.

Diesel is used in diesel engines, a type of internal combustion engine. Rudolf Diesel originally designed the diesel engine to use coal dust as a fuel, but oil proved more effective.

The first diesel-engine automobile trip was completed on January 6, 1930. The trip was from Indianapolis, Indiana, to New York City - a distance of nearly 800 miles. This feat helped to prove the usefulness of the engine.

Biodiesel is a non-fossil fuel alternative to petroleum diesel.