Friedrich Ostertag wrote:

Hi Mr. Tarver,


Diesel engines cannot "detonate". The term "detonation" applies

to

preignition of part of the charge before ignition or before the
flamefront has reached that portion of the charge.

Detonation refers to more energy being imparted to the fuel air

mixture by

compression heating than can be absorbed without igniting the

fuel.

On a diesel, the fuel is not there until the very moment when it is
supposed to ignite. You cannot ignite pure air, no matter how much
energy you impart on it.

In a turbine engine what you write is true, but you are going to have

to

educate me as to the process further to make me believe.


What exactly is it you don't understand? You surely are aware, that a
diesel engine will intake pure air, compress it (much further than a
gasoline engine compresses the mixture - temperatures get really hot
just from the adiabatic compression), and then injects the fuel into
the compressed (and hot!) air, where it immediately ignites due to the
high temperature of the compressed air. Thus my comment, that the fuel
cannot preignite, as it is not there prior to the time it is supposed
to ignite. No preignition - no detonation.


actually you were fine down to this point. what you mean is that when
ther is no "premixing" there is no detonation. Detonation involves a
supersonic combustion wave moving through the mixture.

good discussion at http://www.safetynet.de/Seiten/articles/CMRNov99.pdf