Smil — “Rudolf Diesel deliberately set out to design a…”

Source: How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We’re Going — Vaclav Smil

Book page: smil-how-the-world-really-works

From: How the World Really Works — Quotes

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Rudolf Diesel deliberately set out to design a new, more efficient, prime mover, and by 1897 his first (heavy and stationary) engine had reached an efficiency of 30 percent, double the performance of the best steam engines.[40] But the first marine engine was installed only in 1912 on Christian X, a Danish freighter. Diesel-powered ships carried much less fuel than coal-fired steamers, but could travel further without refueling because the new engines were nearly twice as efficient—and because, per unit of mass, diesel oil contains nearly twice as much energy. An