Faster-
Actually, they do act as an ignition source when the engine is first starting. Along with heating the combustion chamber, the glow plugs are hot enough to ignite the vaporized diesel droplets. After a few combustion cycles, the engine has generated enough heat to not need the assistance of the glow plugs. Granted, the spark plug analogy isn't 100% accurate, but it is a simplified analogy, to allow people who have a better understanding of gasoline-powered internal combustion engines than the less common Diesel cycle used in many marine auxiliary engines.
Much of the heat required for the ignition process is actually provided by the high compression levels found in a diesel engine, but in a cold marine diesel, too much heat is lost to heating the cold metal parts.
You might want to do a bit of research before writing. If you look at this
page or this
page, you'll see that the tip of the glow plug is often at 900+ degrees....which is sufficient to ignite vaporized diesel fuel and is used to ignite the fuel when the engine is being started cold.
My analogy was based on a description of glow plug function by a former SAE section chairman, who is an automotive engineer with over 40 years of experience in the industry.
__________________
Sailingdog
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Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
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