http://ecotransfers.com/blog/2009/03/why-does-bio-diesel-fuel-have-a-larger-energy-density-than-petroleum/ Renewable energy transformations Thu, 13 Jan 2011 06:40:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://ecotransfers.com/blog/2009/03/why-does-bio-diesel-fuel-have-a-larger-energy-density-than-petroleum/#comment-1578 Edward M Sun, 29 Mar 2009 08:46:20 +0000 http://ecotransfers.com/blog/2009/03/why-does-bio-diesel-fuel-have-a-larger-energy-density-than-petroleum/#comment-1578 Diesel itself has a higher density than petroleum. This is due to its constituents. If you think about crude oil, its very thick and gloopy. This is because it is made up of a whole range of hydrocarbons, with very long chains. The longer the chain of hydrocarbon, the denser the substance (in theory!) To gain petrol from crude oil, the oil undergoes fractional distillation, where the oil is boiled, and the petrol constituents then separated from the rest. Petroleum tends to have much shorter chains than diesel, and so is less dense, and more fluid. Diesel is similar to vegetable oil, which as you know is quite thick, as the hydrocarbon chains are quite long. Diesel itself has a higher density than petroleum. This is due to its constituents.
If you think about crude oil, its very thick and gloopy. This is because it is made up of a whole range of hydrocarbons, with very long chains. The longer the chain of hydrocarbon, the denser the substance (in theory!)
To gain petrol from crude oil, the oil undergoes fractional distillation, where the oil is boiled, and the petrol constituents then separated from the rest. Petroleum tends to have much shorter chains than diesel, and so is less dense, and more fluid. Diesel is similar to vegetable oil, which as you know is quite thick, as the hydrocarbon chains are quite long.

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