An experimental study of the ejection mechanism for typical plasma jet igniters

✍ Scribed by R.M. Clements; P.R. Smy; J.D. Dale

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1981
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 747 KB
• Volume: 42
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0010-2180
• DOI: 10.1016/0010-2180(81)90163-2

✦ Synopsis

There are a number of different designs for high-energy spark igniters of the sort where sufficient energy is dissipated in the discharge so that the plasma is injected into the gas mixture that is to be ignited. The efficiency of such igniters can be expected to be a function of the injection mechanism. Thus whether this mechanism is electromagnetic in origin or due to the overpressure developed when the gas is heated and ionized is a subject of some importance and some disagreement. Measurements of the momentum of the injected gas as well as of its velocity have been carried out with an igniter whose magnetic injection forces could be reversed. Similar measurements have also been carried out on a conventional plasma jet igniter. For both designs of igniter the measurements show that magnetic injection forces are negligible. They also conf'mn previous blast wave measurements which show that only a very small fraction of the stored electrical energy is effective in the injection process.