The crude oil engine is a type of
internal combustion engine
An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combus ...
similar to the
hot bulb engine
Hot or the acronym HOT may refer to:
Food and drink
*Pungency, in food, a spicy or hot quality
*Hot, a wine tasting descriptor
Places
*Hot district, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand
**Hot subdistrict, a sub-district of Hot District ...
. A crude oil engine could be driven by all sorts of oils such as engine waste oil and vegetable oils. Even peanut oil and butter could be used as fuel if necessary. Like hot bulb engines, crude oil engines were mostly used as stationary engines or in boats/ships. They can run for a very long time; for instance, at the
world fair
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...
in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
in 1906, a FRAM engine was started and ran until the exhibition was over one month later. A crude oil engine is a low RPM engine dimensioned for constant running and can last for a very long time if maintained properly.
Modern crude oil engines
Large industrial
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
s are capable of running on unrefined crude oil, and are widely used in the oil and gas industry.
Additionally, large medium-speed and low-speed marine engines used on ships can also run on crude oil, although significant filtering and processing is often needed before it can be pumped into the engine.
References
Engine technology
Internal combustion piston engines
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