The ralationship between apex seal breakage and engine detonation in a wankel engine

Wankel 엔진의 에이펙스 시일 파손과 엔진 이상폭발과의 관계

One of the most probable reason of the apex seal damage in IR-2500 industrial Wankel (rotary) engine was believed to be the engine detonation. Both analytical and experimental studies were made with a view th find out engine detonation pressure. The stagnation detonation pressure $p_{03}$' was estimated based on the data from IR-2500 engine detonation tests, such as engine firing pressure, state of fresh charge at BDC and polytropic compression exponent. The estimated stagnation detonation pressure for the natural gas fueled IR-2500 engine was in excess of 3,700 psia. With natural gas liquid added to the natural gas the octane value of the fuel was lowered, thus, making the engine more prone to detonate. The estimated detonation pressure for the case with the mixed fuel was about 3,400 psia which was sufficiently high to break the apex seal. The subsequent engine lab tests performed on two identical engines with sole difference in the apex seal thickness between the two engines proved that the engine knock, in fact, was the villain of the apex seal failure.ilure.