Why is it necessary to heat standby diesel engines?
Diesel engine operation is based on the COMPRESSION IGNITION principle. It works on the theory that the air in the cylinder is compressed to obtain the minimum temperature necessary to ignite the diesel fuel. Without exception, all standby diesel engines were originally designed as vehicular engines. When they are used in vehicles, they are equipped with some type of starting aid. Usually, glow plugs, ether, or both. The operating manuals will also recommend that the engines be allowed to idle until the engine has completely warmed-up, before the vehicle is operated. This warm-up period gives the dissimilar metals within the engine time to expand to their proper operating tolerances, thereby reducing the chance of a catastrophic engine failure. Therefore, in the standby mode, diesel engines are heated for two most important reasons: A. To insure starting of the engine. B. To prevent catastrophic failure by expanding the dissimilar metals to their operating tolerances.
