Detonation Engine

[MKreroo]

Was reading on RDE and detonation engine, and also thinking about recent EV change.
My mind then wondered to thinking about the possibility a new gas engine with similar principle, would essentially be the same as engine knocking but perhaps with less input to reduce the degree of violence of the detonation?
Can the pressure wave from such detonation be more evenly distribute to the cylinder?
Just a random thought.

 

[nerdstrike]

If you look into how the skyactive engine tech works, or indeed the pre-ignition designs used in current F1 cars (I think!), there's already substantial work on very high AFR combustion for efficiency.

My understanding of the continuous detonation thing is that it's fine for the combustion products being the propulsion, but I don't know how you both let the gas and heat out while also containing the expansion to drive a crank. You'd end up reflecting the wave back around the chamber.

In general the efficiency of a combustion engine relies on maximum expansion of the exhaust gas before it is released (see also the triple expansion steam engine). I don't think a continuous wave front is compatible with that. A lack of good combustion chamber geometry is what killed the Mazda Wankel off even more than its wearing seals.

 

[Keith_W]

RDE's are incredibly loud. That alone would prevent their use in a car.

To translate exhaust gases into rotational motion, you could use a turbine. Integza did a video a few days ago on a turbine powered skateboard:

Incidentally, he also did a video on RDE's.