Demand drives diesel fuel up
published:
Sunday | August 10, 2008
Paul Messam, Gleaner Writer
Motorists who own trucks like this, with a 6.4-litre, 350-horse-power diesel engine, are spending much more on deisel fuel. - Contributed
THE PRICE of diesel fuel has, over the past few months, surpassed that of gasolene, the lighter and more expensive fuel to process. Checks made by Automotives recently reveal that diesel fuel has mixed prices at the pumps, but sells on an average about $10 more than other fuels. Diesel, which was once the least expensive fuel, has driven up to be the most expensive - from a low of $89.30 to a high of $98 per litre. What has driven this price increase?
"Most commercial vehicles use diesel, and the demand for diesel is greater but the supply is not so good," says Kenneth Shaw, president of the Jamaica Used Cars Dealers Association. According to Shaw, in addition to the supply-and-demand scenario, the price spike is due to weather-related problems (such as storms in the Gulf of Mexico) which have disrupted the refineries, oil wells and fuel shipments. This, he says, has created a ripple effect on prices. He is also of the view that, at this time of the year, an increase in the demand for heating oil raises the competition for crude which, by extension, increases the prices of diesel fuel.
greater demand
Also, during the summer, people go on vacations, travel more and the demand again becomes greater. It is also believed that in a few European countries, many of the cars have diesel engines, and so the demand for this fuel is increasing.
In the meantime, diesel drivers are hurting in the pocket.
Edward Willis, a driver for more than seven years, while confirming that his motor vehicle performs well with diesel fuel, laments the cost of the product. "It is just too expensive," he says.
"If I fill up from Kingston going to Montego Bay, I have to fill up to come back," says W. Grant, an experienced driver for the Community Health and Psychiatry Unit at the University of the West Indies, Mona. However, he concedes that he gets good mileage from his diesel truck.
Nellie Burton also tells Automotives that diesel fuel has gone beyond his pocket. "It is too expensive. It was much cheaper than the gasolene, right now it is the most expensive fuel," says the St Andrew gas pump attendant. According to Burton, the majority of the customers who purchase diesel say that the diesel price is really too high.
Manufacturers claim that diesel burns slower, therefore, the engines last longer and it is more cost efficient to use diesel.
A diesel engine is a type of internal-combustion engine that is similar to the gasolene engine, but requires no electrical ignition system or carburettor. It was invented by a German engineer named Rudolf Diesel. He obtained a patent for the design in 1892.
heavier components
Diesel vehicles employ high compression ratios to elevate the compressed air temperature sufficiently to ignite a low-grade fuel that is injected into the cylinder. Mechanics have confirmed that components of diesels are usually heavier than those of gasolene engines because of the additional structural strength needed to obtain the higher compression ratio and power output.
It is also interesting to note that diesel engines employ a system of fuel injection to spray the fuel into the cylinder after the air has been compressed by the piston. This mixture burns, the expanding gas pushes the pistons down and thus supplies power. The timing of this fuel injection is just as critical, as is the spark that ignites the fuel in the gasolene engine.
