So specifically I’m interested in gas vs diesel, but I would love to learn further about the specific property that determines this. It’s obvious that an explosion occurs when pressure builds up, and when gas ignites, it propels outwards and expands, but why isn’t diesel like that? Why isn’t every flammable gas explosive in nature?
In: Chemistry
In the shortest possible way of explaining it, the more a reaction can occur in a shorter time, the more abrupt/explosive the reaction.
For flammable reactions, the reaction is fueled by air and whatever matter is catching fire. Increased surface area of burn material with increased exposure to air yields larger reactions.
Pressure generally can channel the flammable explosion into a more directed energy of greater concentration. Fire cracker in air vs tube. It doesn’t necessarily increase or decrease explosiveness.
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