Gasoline how does it work

More recently, gasoline is being mixed with a biofuel known as ethanol. Additionally, the specific composition of gasoline results in a high energy density. This high energy density is what makes gasoline such a valuable fuel, as a relatively small volume of fuel can provide a large amount of useful energy.

The combustion of gasoline is a significant source of human-made carbon dioxide CO 2. As is the case with the combustion of any fossil fuel , the formation of this carbon dioxide contributes negatively to the Earth's climate and promotes global warming and climate change.

The total amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted when gasoline is burned depends on the mass of the fuel used. Thus a car that uses less gasoline will release fewer emissions into the environment. This makes it essential to design cars as fuel efficient as possible to reduce costs and limit emissions. Increasing the fuel efficiency mpg of a vehicle both saves money and reduces emissions.

It also emits over 8, kg less of CO 2. In today's most modern engines, gasoline is injected directly into the cylinders near the top of the compression stroke. Other engines premix the air and fuel during the intake stroke. In either case, just before the piston reaches the top of its travel, known as top dead center, spark plugs ignite the air and fuel mixture.

The resulting expansion of hot, burning gases pushes the piston in the opposite direction down during the combustion stroke. This is the stroke that gets the wheels on your car rolling, just like when you push down on the pedals of a bike.

When the combustion stroke reaches bottom dead center, exhaust valves open to allow the combustion gases to get pumped out of the engine like a syringe expelling air as the piston comes up again. When the exhaust is expelled—it continues through the car's exhaust system before exiting the back of the vehicle—the exhaust valves close at top dead center, and the whole process starts over again.

In a multicylinder car engine, the individual cylinders' cycles are offset from each other and evenly spaced so that the combustion strokes do not occur simultaneously and so that the engine is as balanced and smooth as possible.

But not all engines are created equal. They come in many shapes and sizes. Most automobile engines arrange their cylinders in a straight line, such as an inline-four, or combine two banks of inline cylinders in a vee, as in a V-6 or a V Engines are also classified by their size, or displacement, which is the combined volume of an engine's cylinders.

There are of course exceptions and minute differences among the internal-combustion engines on the market. What is energy? Units and calculators. Use of energy. Energy and the environment. Also in What is energy? Forms of energy Sources of energy Laws of energy. Also in Units and calculators explained Units and calculators Energy conversion calculators British thermal units Btu Degree days. Also in U.

Also in Use of energy explained Use of energy Energy use in industry Energy use for transportation Energy use in homes Energy use in commercial buildings Energy efficiency and conservation. Also in Energy and the environment explained Energy and the environment Greenhouse gases Greenhouse gases and the climate Where greenhouse gases come from Outlook for future emissions Recycling and energy.

Nonrenewable sources. Oil and petroleum products. Diesel fuel. Heating oil. Also in Oil and petroleum products explained Oil and petroleum products Refining crude oil Where our oil comes from Imports and exports Offshore oil and gas Use of oil Prices and outlook Oil and the environment.

Also in Gasoline explained Gasoline Octane in depth Where our gasoline comes from Use of gasoline Prices and outlook Factors affecting gasoline prices Regional price differences Price fluctuations History of gasoline Gasoline and the environment.

Also in Diesel fuel explained Diesel fuel Where our diesel comes from Use of diesel Prices and outlook Factors affecting diesel prices Diesel fuel surcharges Diesel and the environment.

Also in Heating oil explained Heating oil Where our heating oil comes from Use of heating oil Prices and outlook Factors affecting heating oil prices. Once crude oil has been refined into gasoline , it's usually pumped via a pipeline to large regional storage terminals.

From these terminals, gasoline can be loaded into tanker trucks for delivery to specific gas stations where you purchase it for use in your automobile! Did today's Wonder of the Day get you fueled up for more? Keep learning when you check out the following activities with a friend or family member:. Hey Feliciana, hello I'm Randy and I can probably answer that question. It was explained in the article that 7 to 11 carbons is a common fuel for the common car used in every day use.

This is because of the design of the motor itself. The piston reacts because of a spark that was created from the spark plug because of the mixing of fuel mist, heat, and air known as the stokiometric ratio for a gasoline combustion engine. Keep in mind, only one piston can be charged at once, THEREFORE, not all piston can move at the same time which creates a firing order in order to move the crankshaft from the piston being charged down in the chamber.

Thanks, Feliciana! Since this Wonder is just an introduction to the topic, we hope that you do some research to learn more about the role of hydrocarbons! Hi, Wonder Friend! We hope you learned something new from this Wonder.

Thanks for stopping by! Thanks for sharing. What was the most interesting fact you learned? We would love to hear about it! Great question, Frank! Maybe you can do more research about oil at your library. It is an interesting topic to learn about! Compared to solar or wind power, fossil fuels--like gasoline--can definitely be used up. We hope reading this Wonder cleared things up for you.

Welcome back, Sally! We encourage you to check them out! Welcome back, DeRpY-Chan! Hi, Zyrah! We use gasoline for so many things, so it is good information to know. We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature.

Thanks for your patience. Drag a word to its definition. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is:. Want to add a little wonder to your website? Help spread the wonder of families learning together. We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. What is gasoline made of?

How is gasoline made? What other products are made from crude oil? Tags: See All Tags asphalt , butane , carbon , chemistry , condensation , diesel , distillation , engine , ethanol , fossil fuel , fuel , gas , gasoline , heating , hydrocarbon , hydrogen , kerosene , liquid , methane , molecule , octane , oil , organic , paraffin , petroleum , pipeline , propane , refinery , science , sediment , solid , solvent , tar , technology , temperature , wax.