Re:The tragic physics of the deadly explosion in Beirut
by icefo on Tuesday August 11, 2020 @09:57AM
(#24120274)
You can do that with old diesel engines but new ones are too sensitive and destroy themselves if you try to run them on anything but diesel.
It mostly because the high pressure pump use the Diesel for lubrication so if you use something else the pump destroy itself sending tiny metal shards down the pipe and into the injectors.
That's why accidentally running a diesel car on gas turn expensive fast. The contrary is much cheaper as just have to flush the fuel lines and you're good to go.
Re:The tragic physics of the deadly explosion in Beirut
by TheSpiceIsLife on Tuesday August 11, 2020 @06:57AM
(#24119071)
Modern diesel injectors:
30,000 to 40,000 PSI
https://www.buyautoparts.com/blog/4-common-diesel-fuel-injec...
Diesel engines avoid pre-ignition knocking by compressing only air. There is no compression of air/fuel mix. The fuel is injected into the hot, compressed air at the top of the compression stroke (at something like 3000+ PSI, IIRC).
The fuel does not have to be particularly volatile because of the high compression and the injector's atomization.
In theory, diesel engines can run on "anything". Diesel engines have been run on crude oil taken directly from the ground (of good purity), and on vegetable oil.