Everyone knows what a Diesel engine is. Did you know it was named after someone?

[jonp]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-tOYz_-YII

[Noah Zark]

Rudolf Diesel.

Noah

[gwpercle]

Somewhere along the way in my youthful schooling we were taught about the development of the Diesel and gasoline engines and even learned about the oil and gas industries ... we spent a day on a field trip at the huge Exxon / Esso / Standard Oil Refinery in Baton Rouge Louisiana ...
Learned about things called Catalitic Cracking Units and all the things refined from petroleum...and the importance of these things . My Daddy told me if Hitler had had enough Deisel Fuel , Gasoline and Aviation Fuel he would have won WWII... but they ran out of gas .
I thought the story about the discovery and use of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly was very interesting ... I guess they don't teach such things as this to children any longer ... would be useful information and allow them to see how important these things are for a Nation to survive ... You can't depend on getting energy from your enemies .
Gary

[45_Colt]

It is also said that Rudolf got his idea from SE Asia residents that used fire pistons. He had recently visited those islands:

https://www.survivalworld.com/fire/fire-piston/

A good job of putting 2+2 together and creating another form of motivation.

45_Colt

[M-Tecs]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Diesel

[Kosh75287]

I thought it was Ferdinand Diesel, but yes. I think he developed his engines to run on cottonseed oil, or safflower oil? It's been too long since the lesson, except that modeling a diesel engine on the ideal gas law REALLY doesn't work well. PV does not ALWAYS work out to nRT.

[TurnipEaterDown]

Here's a different looking one for you: https://contest.techbriefs.com/2014/entries/aerospace-and-defense/4256

The different types of engines and their means of combustion also have different operating cycle names, otto, brayton, atkinson, diesel, stirling...

[M-Tecs]

My personal favorite od oddball designs history forgot about. The flame is on the outside hence the name "flame licker". It uses the vacuum effect of cooling for its source of movement.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkWQ7Ad82LU

[ascast]

yes original made to run on dust fuel, like powdered coal. It did not work well.

[M-Tecs]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owIhoiT1Bdg

[TurnipEaterDown]

Pretty funky idea. Clever, fairly simple looking, and pretty out of bounds from what I ever saw before.
From skimming the video, I think I see the reason for the comment "it did not work well".
Would also seem to be a pretty big loser in the power density category...
Still, neat to see.

[M-Tecs]

My second favorite "forgotten" engine was very successful in the early days mostly in WW1 era aircraft. It's the Gnome rotary engine


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxQ-FOhtINA

[M-Tecs]

They used to lubricate those engines with caster oil. Took on a whole new meaning of "needing to go". Also to control RPM's the pilot "blipped" the ignition on and off.

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43438
one did not "blip" the throttle, but the ignition. On most rotary engines, there was no throttle to adjust gas/air, the mixture would always enter the cylinders in full volume. To control the engine at all there was that "blip" switch (called "schnirps" in german), with which the ignition or better the magnetoes, were shut off. So descending from altitude, or short before flaring out, you would blip the engine to keep revolutions low. It would then just not fire, but still get the full mixture while turning by momentum, or being turned by the wind via propellor.

You had to be careful, because blipping too long would "strangle" the engine, and an airborne restart of the engine was not always possible. As well you would not blip it too long in the air while the propeller/airscrew (english/american?) was turning the engine by air pressure, because if the cylinders would be flooded too long without firing, a prolonged re-igniting would set the whole engine afire - or the engine would not start again because of wet spark plugs.

On later a/c like the Camel and Snipe (and possibly some others) there was the possibility to only "blip" some of the cylinders (or better their spark pugs), or all, via a second blip switch.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq78ZocOAkY

Some real oddities here http://www.douglas-self.com/MUSEUM/POWER/unusualICeng/unusualICeng.htm

[FISH4BUGS]

i thought it was ferdinand diesel, but yes. I think he developed his engines to run on cottonseed oil, or safflower oil? It's been too long since the lesson, except that modeling a diesel engine on the ideal gas law really doesn't work well. Pv does not always work out to nrt.

it was originally designed to use peanut oil

[GhostHawk]

The Swedish have a Sub that uses a combination of Diesel and sterling engines. Sterling with external combustion (Tanks of O2) for quiet running.

One of the only subs in the world able to penetrate a US Aircraft carrier's security shells without being detected.

[Brassmonkey]

it was originally designed to use peanut oil

Correct, petroleum guys didn't like that, and Rudolph disappeared. Just like Henry's model T was designed to run on ethanol so farmers could grow their own fuel, some people made things change and here we are.

So much of our progress seems only to be a convenience and only if you choose to be dependent on outside sources.

[higgins]

There was a movie on Prime video called The Diesel Mystery about his life and disappearance; it is currently unavailable on prime, but might be available elsewhere. I watched it and if I remember correctly he disapeared on a business trip aboard an occean liner. Suicide? murder? accident? At the time he was involved in business disputes over patents (I believe?) and with government and industry interests which could have contributed to his death.

[oldscool]

Vin ??

[Mal Paso]

Diesel invented it but is was Clessie Lyle Cummins who turned it into a thing of beauty. 33 patents to his name, fascinating story!

[.45Cole]

The engines employ the thermodynamic cycle of the guy that devised the cycle (or the cycle was named after the engine that demonstrated the thermodynamic cycle). Diesel cycle, Otto cycle (gas engines), Rankine cycle (turbines) ect. Really cool stuff, you can see that the Rankine engine is actually the most efficient and the Otto the least efficient at making work.