Internal combustion engines and gensets
Piston engines in vehicles, ships and generators, burning petrol, diesel or gas.
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Running an Indian office on a diesel generator costs about Rs 25 to 40 per kWh, mostly for the fuel.
Chart: Illustration: Internal combustion engines and gensets
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Fuel burns inside a sealed cylinder, and the hot gas pushes a piston; diesels compress air alone, so they avoid knock and run more efficiently.
Three things to know
- A typical petrol car engine turns only about 28 to 32% of its fuel into work, and 16 to 25% reaches the wheels.
- The biggest gas engines, with cylinders 500 mm wide, turn about 50% of their fuel into electricity.
- India's emission norms raised diesel genset prices by 20 to 40%.
The journey
- 1 FuelPetrol, diesel, natural gas or biogas
- 2 CylinderCompressed charge burns, pushing a piston
- 3 CrankshaftTurns the push into rotation
- 4 OutputWheels, propellers or an alternator
- 5 UsesVehicles, backup power, data centres, islands