Diesel engine

Diesel engine
Diesel engine built by Langen & Wolf under licence, 1898
ClassificationInternal combustion engine
IndustryAutomotive
ApplicationEnergy transformation
InventorRudolf Diesel
Invented1893 (1893)
1952 Shell Oil film showing the development of the diesel engine from 1877

The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is called a compression-ignition engine (CI engine). This contrasts with engines using spark plug-ignition of the air-fuel mixture, such as a petrol engine (gasoline engine) or a gas engine (using a gaseous fuel like natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas).


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