Diesel fuel

Diesel fuel is a liquid fuel made mainly from petroleum hydrocarbons and used chiefly in compression-ignition engines. It ignites when injected into hot, compressed air rather than being sparked.

Cetane number: A measure of how readily diesel fuel ignites after injection into hot, compressed air. It quantifies the ignition delay that shapes diesel combustion.
Petroleum refining: The industrial separation and conversion of crude oil into fuels and other products. Refining produces conventional diesel from selected hydrocarbon fractions.
Diesel locomotive: A railway locomotive powered by a diesel engine, directly or through electric traction motors. Diesel fuel enables rail operation where overhead electric power is unavailable.
Biodiesel: A renewable diesel substitute made from fatty-acid esters derived from oils or fats. It can replace or blend with petroleum diesel but has different chemistry.
Diesel exhaust: The mixture of gases and particles emitted by diesel engines after combustion. Its composition links fuel use to air quality and health effects.
Diesel engine: An internal-combustion engine that ignites fuel by injecting it into compressed, heated air. Its compression-driven ignition is the main use of diesel fuel.
Gas oil: A middle-distillate petroleum fraction used as feedstock for diesel fuel and heating oil. It is a principal refinery stream from which diesel is made.
Diesel generator: An electricity generator driven by a diesel engine. Stored diesel can provide dispatchable power or emergency backup.
Renewable diesel: A hydrocarbon fuel made from renewable feedstocks and chemically similar to petroleum diesel. Unlike biodiesel, it can closely match conventional diesel’s hydrocarbon composition.
Diesel particulate matter: Fine soot and other particles emitted by diesel engines during fuel combustion. It is a major pollutant addressed by particulate filters and emission rules.

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