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Why did Rudolf Diesel, who discovered the diesel engine, mysteriously disappear after his invention?

  • September 26, 2024
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Diesel managed to make a discovery that attracted attention hundreds of years ago, but… His invention wasn’t the only thing that attracted attention. His death was talked about

Why did Rudolf Diesel, who discovered the diesel engine, mysteriously disappear after his invention?

Diesel managed to make a discovery that attracted attention hundreds of years ago, but… His invention wasn’t the only thing that attracted attention. His death was talked about for years.

Come to Rudolf Diesel the invention and death of the diesel engine Let’s take a closer look at the details.

A disease seen in several states of America in 1872 negatively affected horses and disrupted transportation.

Rudolf Diesel

Because transport at that time was done with horses and there was no alternative to replace the horse. But in a short time The steam engine would be a candidate for this. Automobiles with steam engine systems slowly began to appear.

Another candidate was the internal combustion engine, early versions of which used gas, gasoline, and even explosives. But These types of engines were inefficient. It could only convert 10% of the heat into mechanical energy.

The Parisian Rudolf Diesel was educated at the Polytechnic School of Munich.

diesel engine

At a conference he attended, Diesel heard that it was theoretically possible to build an internal combustion engine that would control all the heat, and he set out to do so. The efficiency of Diesel’s first engine, It was only 25%. But this was still twice as good as previous engines.

On the other hand, the reason why diesel engines are more efficient It doesn’t require a spark. Gasoline engines work by compressing the air and fuel mixture and then igniting it.

But diesel engines are different. In this engine the air is compressed so strongly that… Fuel is retained by contact. For this reason it consumes less fuel.

In addition, diesel engines run on heavier fuels than gasoline.

diesel engine

These fuels are cheaper to refine than gasoline. Again, they release less gas and so chance of causing an explosion is less. This makes it attractive for military transport.

Rudolf Diesel applied for a patent on his engine in 1892. In a few years Developing a small but efficient engineHe succeeded. In 1912, a year before his death, he predicted that vegetable oils would become as important a fuel source as petroleum products.

In 1904, French submarines began using diesel engines. By the end of the 19th century, everything from power plants to automobiles existed It was powered by diesel engines.

Even though Diesel was such a successful inventor, he suddenly mysteriously disappeared.

Rudolf Diesel

He disappeared while crossing the English Channel on September 30, 1913, while traveling from Belgium to a business meeting. Diesel was thought to be extremely wealthy thanks to his many patents, but details that emerged after his disappearance revealed that he was actually bad investments made and for this reason he showed that he was heavily indebted.

Although his death was recorded as a suicide, the mysterious circumstances surrounding him persisted Knows how to keep Diesel in the news for years. Some conspiracy theorists claimed that the diesel engine was killed off by German spies because of its importance in early submarine designs.

According to some, his death meant that his rivals want to eliminate came forward. As a result, Rudolf Diesel died in these unknown circumstances, leaving many question marks.

Sources: Britannica, History

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