What distinguishes LPG from other members of the family of petroleum hydrocarbons is.. Part 4

 Diesel

Types of Hydrocarbons in Diesel:

Unlike gas fossil fuels that are composed primarily of a single hydrocarbon isomer type, liquid fossil fuels like gasoline, kerosene (jet fuel, diesel),  are a compilation of hydrocarbon isomers. They are melodies of more than one hydrocarbon isomer type. 

Of the fossil fuels, diesel has one of the highest energy densities. “The average chemical formula for common diesel fuel is C12H24, ranging approximately from C10H20 to C15H28.” That means diesel has a carbon-to-hydrogen ratio of 1-to-2 or greater. 

There is a direct correlation between the carbon to hydrogen ratio and fuel density. There is a direct correlation between the size of molecule chains in a fuel and fuel density. So, while there is a strict definition of fuel density, a simple explanation of fuel density is the size of the hydrocarbon molecules in a fuel in conjunction with the carbon-to-hydrogen ratio. 

The carbon to hydrogen ratio of diesel — the fuel density — is significantly higher than all gas fossil fuels as well as liquid fossil fuels. Only the highest quality coal in the world, anthracite, has an energy density that exceeds that of diesel.