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M 46 DF Knocking

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Highest Efficiency
A gas engine has highest efficiency when operated as
close to the knocking limit as possible. Therefore, the DF
engine is set to run close to the knocking limit when in gas
mode.

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Knocking combustion is characterized by a sharp increase of the combustion

pressure during the cycle

knocking

no knocking

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What is knocking?
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Knocking occurs when the combustion of the gas is

uneven or “hard” which typically occurs when the
combustion
• Starts too early
• Starts simultaneously at several places in the
combustion chamber
• Combustion progress is uneven

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What time knocking appears?
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What time knocking appears?
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What time knocking appears?
 Caterpillar Engine Training Center – Kiel

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What time knocking appears?
 Caterpillar Engine Training Center – Kiel

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What time knocking appears?
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What time knocking appears?
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What time knocking appears?
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Auto-ignition due to low methane number

Auto-ignition due to hot spots in combustion

chamber or hot fuel-air mixture

Too rich fuel-air ratio

Uneven ignition

Wrong ignition timing

Others…

Possible reasons can be:

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Gas quality Gas with low methane numbers have a higher tendency for autoignition

Ignition fuel oil

Ignition fuel with high Cetane Index burn faster, therefore igniting the gas earlier
quality

Charge air High charge air temperatures result in higher temperatures of the fuel-air mixture, increasing
temperature the knocking tendency

Pressure pulsation in the gas pipe causing unequal or unsteady gas supply to the cylinders
Pressure resulting in variations of air-fuel ratio. Rich air-fuel ratios increase the knocking tendency.

Deviations in ambient conditions can cause knocking

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Power Reduction Factors Depending Methane, which has a high

on Methane Number knock resistance, is given an
index value of 100. Hydrogen,
which burns quickly relative to
methane, has a low knock
resistance and is given the
index value of 0. If a gas
mixture has a methane number
of 80, its knock resistance is
equivalent to that of a gas
comprised of 80% methane and
20% hydrogen.
Methane Number
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By using the Caterpillar

Formula, the Methane Number
in this example is: 88

Methane Number
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Pressure pulsation in the gas pipe

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Worn main injectors: can release drops of Diesel fuel into

air-gas mixture offsetting fuel-air ratio and timing

Diesel combustion residues: can create “glow nests” in

combustion chamber, more likely after HFO operation

Badly adjusted valve clearance

Worn gas valves: can release wrong gas quantity or at

wrong timing

Malfunctioning ICPM sensors not detecting knocking

tendency

Small leakages of combustion pressure causing reduced

combustion pressure, engine control will react with higher
gas quantity

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Maintenance issues can cause knocking
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MaK DF engines are equipped with ICPM (In cylinder
pressure monitoring) sensors that measure the
combustion pressure. The pressure is analyzed and the
knock level determined. Knock levels below 30
frequently occur during normal gas combustion (at
knock levels above 35, the typical noise starts). A
“knocking event” is defined by
• a single combustion cycle with a knock level >120
• a series of at least 5 combustion cycles with knock
levels >50 within 60 cycles

Current DF engines automatically react to knocking

events by delaying the ignition of the affected cylinder to
a certain extent.
• If no knocking occurs anymore, the ignition of the
affected cylinder will gradually move back to the
original timing.
• If knocking still occurs, the engine will automatically
switch to Diesel mode and an alarm will be
displayed, indicating the cylinder affected by
knocking. Changing back to Gas mode will only be
possible after acknowledging this alarm.

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Engine reaction to knocking