Saturday, March 12, 2011

Experimental Ferrite-Cored Ignition Coils

This is my first attempt of 'playing' with ferrite-cored ignition coil.
My initial intention is to improve the coil's responds to CDI output. According to my experience, iron-cored coil adds too much latency. Here's my attempt to 'fix' it...

Here's where I get my ferrite core, the infamous flyback transformer!


Here's the air-cored inductance. About 0.4mH.
Previous iron core shown left.


Unmodified stock ignition coil, about 7mH.


Side-by-side comparison between iron-core and ferrite-core.


Comparison of both stock and modded coils.


Ferrite-cored reading, about 8.4mH.


As obviously can be seen, swapping the iron-core to ferrite-core increases the inductance.
The performance haven't practically tested yet. 

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Intensified Plasma Ignition System




Abstract
Highly Intensified Plasma Ignition System (HIPIS) is an add-on device to fit any spark-ignition internal combustion engine. This includes reciprocating and rotating (Wankel) engine. The device transform ordinary low-power spark from ignition coil into highly intensified plasma – the fourth state of matter.


Background
This invention generally relates to the utilization of stock spark-ignition system to trigger the high intensity plasma to effectively ignite the combustible mixture in an internal combustion engine (ICE).
The existence of CDI and MSD systems soon after the Kettering system is an evident that it is well known that ignition system plays important role in ICE.


How It Works
Technically, the system looks simple. It consists of three sections. The first section is the High Voltage Side, which’s readily available in most of the vehicle that utilize spark-ignition engine. In our system, we utilize this HV side as a Switcher, which act as a trigger for the third section; the High Current Side.
The synergy between the HV and HC sides resulting high intensity plasma as the output.

Notice there’s too much of word ‘high’ being used. Despite the name, HIPIS doesn’t consume much power to operate, it only draw less than 100 Watts. That’s less than 10 Amps on 12 Volts system – About the same power consumption for each of your car headlight.


Objectives
·   To investigate the effects of utilization photon-ignition-system in common internal combustion engine.
o   Enhancing the efficiency of ICE, thus, preserving energy.
o   More environmental friendly, emission close to zero.
o   Extending life of the ICE parts.
o   Dramatically improved engine performance



Expected Results
As time passed by, internal combustion engines are designed to work as hard as they can. They include forced induction, direct fuel injection with highly pressurized fuel line, variable/special valvetrain - MultiAir™, Nitrous Oxide Injection, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), Wankel’s engine, high compression-ratio engine and so on. All of these is a great improvement, but, most of the design, excluding advancing the ignition timing, none of them is done to accelerate the combustion process.

Let’s take a single cylinder reciprocating engine as a subject. It’s running at 3000 revolution per minute. That’s 50 cycle per second. Assuming the combustion process lasts for π radians, since a complete revolution takes 2π radians, which equals 100π radians per second. Thus, the period for each stroke is 100-1 which is 10 milliseconds!

Combustion is not just associated with mechanical movement; it’s also a chemical reaction. Chemical reaction takes time to complete.

Hydrocarbon-based fuel is well known for its slow flame front speed, especially high octane petrol. Slow combustion leads to many problems, which could be solved by HIPIS. The utilization of HIPIS could:-

*Accelerate the combustion process
*Minimize engine noise
*Lowers engine temperature, thus detonation
*Increase lean-mixture limit
*Better efficiency of energy conversion (waste heat to mechanical energy)
*More power output for the same amount of fuel – more horsepower!
*Improved throttle response
*Preserve engine life
*Reduce hazardous exhaust emissions


Potential Applications
Obviously, the system is intended to being used on any internal combustion engine. The application is manifold. Whether for variable speed engines; which being utilized on vehicle, or constant speed engines; - i.e., which’s on any spark-ignition engine operated electrical generator/water pump and so on.

Besides than being used as a ‘performance mod’ on subjected engine, it also expands the possibilities for alternative fuels. For instance, it could be CNG, Hydrogen, Ammonia, Ethanol, ‘Wood gas’ and so forth.

At the same time, the system also encourages ‘water injection’ to be applied. As we all know, current spark-ignition technology worst enemy is water. Ironically, water is needed to improve thermodynamic efficiency, especially in Crower’s Six-Stroke Engine.

Rather than being shorted by water at the spark gap, the intensified-plasma electrolyzed it to separate it into individual molecules, hydrogen and oxygen – one of the powerful mix existed. Thus, causing the ignition triggered to become more energetic


Methodology
In order to verify the system, we initially tested it practically on 4-stroke single-cylinder reciprocating piston engines.



Since the result was quite couraging, we go on further to test it on inline-4 and inline-3 car engines.



The absence of proper test equipment at that time was a huge loss. We aren’t able to record any scientific data as the proof.
However, we have some videos of it running.
If asked, we could repeat the same experiment, with the same result, in a well equipped lab with controlled experiments.


Previous versions