tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5429991721363956274.post656731709168908551..comments2023-10-07T02:37:57.220-07:00Comments on Bettie del Mar: A Girl's Guide to Diesel Engines: OverviewBettie del Marhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03666822701692228531noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5429991721363956274.post-27511712950032111982012-01-19T07:31:29.143-08:002012-01-19T07:31:29.143-08:00Essentially, the reason gas heats up is that the m...Essentially, the reason gas heats up is that the molecules are freely moving in a gas, and so reducing the volume of the gas causes the molecules to strike each other and the walls of the compression chamber more often, which is released as heat (because of entropy). You could compress gas at a speed using various methods where the heat it was gaining was equal to the heat bleeding off, so that the gas would not seem to heat up, but energy is still lost (because of entropy). However, that would be too slow to power an engine, so you need the quick and dirty compression, causing rapid temperature increase, which ignites the fuel. In a gas engine, you compress a fuel/oxy mixture less to increase the heat and more because compressed gas blows up bigger (the spark causes the molecules to spontaneously combust, instead of the heat of the gas). So, the two types of engines are two applications of the same phenomenon. Insofar as I understand it.<br /><br />Diamonds are made by heat and pressure, yes, but you wouldn't feel the heat in a natural diamond, because it happens over such a long period of time. It doesn't require a volcano or anything, just a lot of pressure on a collection of carbon. Synthetic diamonds require a lot of heat, because you are compressing a million year procedure to into a few hours.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04817740997926909817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5429991721363956274.post-16726771298386146022012-01-19T06:16:13.475-08:002012-01-19T06:16:13.475-08:00Thanks! I hope it's useful, and it has been re...Thanks! I hope it's useful, and it has been refreshing to break out of my non-mechanical comfort zone.Bettie del Marhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03666822701692228531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5429991721363956274.post-86807754083550448042012-01-18T17:46:27.566-08:002012-01-18T17:46:27.566-08:00I think it is marvelous that you are taking the ti...I think it is marvelous that you are taking the time to do this series of posts!The Ceol Morshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16716515081322012615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5429991721363956274.post-6035116248410652752012-01-18T06:24:25.296-08:002012-01-18T06:24:25.296-08:00Joshua, I didn't know that, though I've al...Joshua, I didn't know that, though I've always liked the concept of being able to motor around on used cooking oil. Might be a bit stinky, but hey it's cheap!<br /><br />And Melissa, I asked my resident science geek about your questions, and yes, you are exactly right about the transmission! As for why the air gets hot when compressed, I'll try to explain it. Vlad was tossing around the word "entropy" a lot when I asked him, which he usually explains as the universe striving for disorder (he calls it freedom and has used it as an excuse to not clean up the garage). Anyway, I'm not totally sure how entropy plays in, but the gist of it is this. Air is a gas, and a gas is a more energetic state than a liquid or solid. When you compress the air, you're pushing it into a more solid state, and as it moves toward this solid state the air releases energy as heat. Additionally, all those molecules moving around closer and closer to each other causes friction, which also causes heat. A diamond, on the other hand, is caused by heat and pressure. Whew, that's a lot of science early in the morning!Bettie del Marhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03666822701692228531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5429991721363956274.post-28385717538324855002012-01-17T09:38:08.901-08:002012-01-17T09:38:08.901-08:00Okay, my brain is engaged. So this explains why th...Okay, my brain is engaged. So this explains why the transmission is named thus? It 'transmits' energy to the propeller? I will google that to find out. Also, I cannot remember the law of thermodynamics that talks about compression causing heat. I suppose that's how diamonds are made. I will be on the google this morning, thanks!LittleCunningPlan.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15459050510084587089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5429991721363956274.post-69326351572655255192012-01-17T08:45:37.049-08:002012-01-17T08:45:37.049-08:00Diesel's original conception was for an engine...Diesel's original conception was for an engine that ran on vegetable oil that common workers could use to power their tractors and trucks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04817740997926909817noreply@blogger.com