Both diesel and gasoline engines convert

chemical energy from fuel into mechanical

energy through a series of explosions. The
way these explosions happen is the major
difference between these two engines.
In a gasoline engine, the explosion process is:
1.

Intake stroke fuel is mixed with air

2.

Compression stroke piston goes up, mixture of fuel and air is compressed

3.

Ignition stroke fuel/air is ignited through the use of a spark plug

4.
Exhaust stroke piston goes up, pushes exhaust through the exhaust valve
In a diesel engine, the explosion process is:
1.

Intake stroke intake valve opens, air in, piston goes down

2.

Compression stroke piston goes up, air compressed (heated in excess of 540C)

3.

Combustion stroke fuel is injected (right time), ignition, piston goes down

4.
Exhaust piston goes up, pushes exhaust through the exhaust valve
Diesel engines have no spark plug. They need high compression ratios to generate the high
temperatures required for fuel auto ignition (the higher the cetane number, the better the ignition).
Compression is much higher with a diesel engine (14:1 to 25:1) than a gasoline engine (8:1 to 12:1).
Gasoline engines use lower compression ratios to avoid fuel auto ignition (engine knock). Higher
compression ratios lead to higher thermal efficiencies and better fuel economies.