Diesel's Destiny Pollution, Environment, And Future Paths

By Davis Truman

In "Diesel's Destiny: Pollution, Environment, And Future Paths," Davis Truman delves into the environmental crisis fueled by our addiction to fossil fuels, particularly in the automotive sector. From the promises of freedom to the scandals like Dieselgate, the book explores the urgent need for a green revolution. It examines the rise of electric vehicles but also questions whether electricity alone is the solution. With insightful analysis and a hopeful vision, "Diesel Destiny" is essential reading for anyone grappling with the challenges of our changing world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: vincenzo nappi
• Release date: Feb 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224277728

Book preview

Chapter One

Introduction

If we want everything to remain the same, everything must change.

IT IS EASY FOR PEOPLE to remain in their comfort zone, enjoying the pleasure of the status quo not worrying about the future consequences of their actions. Unfortunately, the events of the last few years are forcing us to open our eyes and rethink our choices. The frantic rhythm of life people are used to nowadays has proved to be energetically unsustainable, leading to an irreversible climate change whose consequences are impossible to ignore. In this optic, transportation systems and energy generation play a significant role in the pollution increase and end up in the eye of the storm of public opinion. The new millennium opened right in the middle of the steady growth of the car industry, driven by the promises of freedom and intrinsically connected self-satisfaction. The sector experienced a state of continuous growth that not even the economic crisis could stop, thanks to the sudden motorization of China, which in more than a decade became the first global market, far more than 20 million units per year.

The question arises, what are we heading to? On one hand, people are not willing to give up on their actual way of life. On the other hand, the world is strongly asking for a green revolution leading to an equilibrium that could not mine the future survival of humankind. We are living right now in this year, one of the biggest scandals of the sector strictly connected with the topic of environment and pollution: Dieselgate. The issue is critical but, at the same time, easily misunderstood by the masses, who confuse it with the mere not-realistic results of the homologation cycles. The latter is being modified to achieve clear results and compliance with reality. The sudden discovery of the cheat in the emission testing of the Volkswagen group regarding diesel engines soon turned into a global prosecution of Diesel, with drastic consequences.

Consequently, markets have started to change, and all major manufacturers are following the trend to provide customers with desirable products compliant with regulations. Another big driver of the process is the rise of electric cars, in the form of hybrids, plug-ins, and full EVs, that are presented to the markets as the perfect green solution for a better future. But what is the truth behind it? Is electricity the only solution to combustion engines, or is this obstinacy against Diesel unfounded?

Chapter Two

The history of diesel engine

THE DIESEL ENGINE IS named after Rudolf Diesel, who was born in Paris, France, in 1858. His invention came while the steam engine was the predominant power source for large industries, led by the willingness to find an alternative and more efficient way to provide energy to power factories. In 1885, Diesel set up his first shop in Paris to begin the development of a compression ignition engine. The process would last 13 years. In the 1890s, he received several patents for inventing an efficient, slow-burning, compression ignition internal combustion engine. From 1893 to 1897, Diesel developed his ideas at Maschinenfabrik-Augsburg AG (later Maschinenfabrik-Augsburg-Nürnberg or MAN). In addition to M.A.N., Sulzer Brothers of Switzerland took an early interest in Diesel’s work, buying certain rights to Diesel’s invention in 1893. At MAN in Augsburg, prototype testing began with a 150 mm bore/400 mm stroke design on August 10, 1893. On February 17, 1894, the redesigned engine ran for 88 revolutions - one minute; with this news, Maschinefabrik Augsburg's stock rose by 30%, indicative of the tremendous anticipated demands for a more efficient engine.

In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a cylinder and piston constructed and arranged to compress air to a degree producing a temperature above the igniting point of the fuel, a supply for compressed air or gas; a fuel supply, a distributing-valve for fuel, a passage from the air supply to the cylinder in communication with the fuel-distributing valve, an inlet to the cylinder in communication with the air-supply and the fuel-valve, and a cut-oil, substantially as