Basar, Asra P.

BSME 3A

IGNITION SYSTEM
An ignition system generates a spark or heats an electrode to a high temperature to ignite a fuel-
air mixture in spark ignition internal combustion engines, oil-fired and gas-fired boilers, rocket
engines, etc.
The automotive ignition system’s main function is to control the timing of the spark plug. To
perform optimally, the ignition system must work together with the rest of the engine. The
ignition system’s goal is to ignite the fuel at exactly the right time. If the ignition system
provides a spark at the wrong time, the engine will produce less power, which means it will
require more gas to travel the same distance.

Function of Ignition System

 To create high voltage electric spark in the combustion chamber at correct timing to burn
the air fuel mixture.
 This creates a potential difference of ~25kV across the spark plugs.
 It provides high spark voltage to each spark plug in the correct order.
 It adjusts the spark timing with speed and load of the vehicle.
 The spark is adjusted so it can be generated when piston is near the top dead Centre.

Components of Ignition System

1.Battery
The battery is used to provide current to the ignition system. This in turn energizes the ignition
coil. Generally, the voltage of the battery is 6V or 12V.
2. Ignition Switch
It is used to turn ON or OFF the engine. One end of the switch relates to the Primary Winding of
Ignition Coil, and another end relates to the Battery.
3. Ignition Coil
It is the main part of Ignition System. The main purpose of it is to step up battery voltage so that
it is sufficient for generates the spark. It is working as a step-up transformer, and has two
windings, one is primary which have a lesser turn, and the other one is secondary which have a
higher number of turns.
4. Distributor
It is used in the multi-cylinder engine, and its purpose is to regulate spark in each spark plug at
the correct sequence depending on firing order.
5. Spark Plug
Spark Plug is another important part of Ignition system. Here the actual Spark is generated for
the combustion of Fuel or Charge. If there is more than one spark plug exists, then each one is
connected separately with the distributor and gives the spark in the sequence.

Types of Ignition System

They are basically classified on the method of current supplied to the primary winding:
 Battery ignition system
 Magneto ignition system
 Electronic Ignition System
1. Battery Ignition System
It is based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. Mostly used in cars and trucks. In this
system a battery of 12 volts is generally employed.
Construction of Battery ignition System:
It consists of two circuits-Primary and secondary
The first circuit comprises of-
 Battery
 Primary winding of the ignition coil
 Condenser
 Contact breaker from the primary circuit
The second circuit comprises of-
 Winding of the ignition coil
 Distributor
 Spark plugs forms the secondary circuits.
The value of the voltage depends upon the number of turns in each coil. The high voltage 10,000
to 20,000 volts then passes to a distributor.
Working of Battery Ignition System
After turning the switch on in battery ignition system the current flows to-
 First the primary circuit through ballast register
 Secondly to primary winding
 Lastly to contact breaker
The flowing current induces a magnetic field around the primary winding. The contact breaker
opens the current flowing through the primary winding and this result in significant current fall,
at a particular point. This sudden fall of current generates very high voltage around 300 V in the
primary winding section.
This high voltage charges the capacitor completely. The capacitor starts delivering the current
towards the battery. This induces reverse flowing of the current. Also, there is an already induced
magnetic field in the primary winding. Its overall results in a very high voltage of 15000 V to
30000 V is generated in the secondary winding.
This high voltage current is then transferred to the distributor. The distributor cap has metallic
segments embedded on it. So, when it starts rotating then at a certain stage it opens the contact
breaker point which allows the high voltage current to transfer to the spark plugs through the
metallic segments. So, when the high voltage current reaches the spark plug then it generates a
high intensity of spark inside the engine cylinder, which allows the combustion fuel to burn.

2. Magneto Ignition System

Principle is same as the battery ignition system. In this, no battery is required, as the magneto
acts as its own generator.
Construction of Magneto Ignition System
It consists of either rotating magnet in fixed coils, or rotating coils in fixed magnets. Magneto
produces the current. Flow of the current takes place in the induction coil.

Working of Magneto Ignition System

The working of Magneto ignition system is same as the battery ignition system only the method
of supply of primary circuit current is different. In this system magnet and fixed coil (armature)
is used which is driven by crank of engine and produces current for primary circuit.
Other steps are same as the battery ignition system.

3. Electronic Ignition System

The conventional electro-mechanical ignition system uses mechanical contact breakers. Though
it is very simple, it suffers from certain limitations as follows.

 The contact breaker points handle the heavy current. This resulting in burn out of contact
points. Thus, it requires periodical servicing and settings.
 The mechanically operated contact breaker has inertial effects. Hence at higher speeds,
the make or break of contact may not be timed.
 At higher speeds, the dwell time for building up the current in the coil to its maximum
value is low. Thus, the spark strength may be reduced.
To overcome the above drawbacks, in the modern automobiles, electronic ignition systems are
used. This electronic ignition system has its best performance at all varying conditions and
speed, unlike electro-mechanical systems.
The electro ignition system consists of transistors, capacitors, diodes, and resistors. These acts as
heavy-duty switches in controlling the primary current for the high voltage ignition coil.

Automobile Ignition Systems Work

 Ignition System Timing
  Spark Plug
 Ignition System Coil
 Ignition System Distributor
 Distributorless Ignition
Ignition System Timing
The ignition system on your car must work in perfect concert with the rest
of the engine. The goal is to ignite the fuel at exactly the right time so that
the expanding gases can do the maximum amount of work. If the ignition
system fires at the wrong time, power will fall, and gas consumption and
emissions can increase.
When the fuel/air mixture in the cylinder burns, the temperature rises, and
the fuel is converted to exhaust gas. This transformation causes the pressure
in the cylinder to increase dramatically and forces the piston down.
To get the most torque and power from the engine, the goal is to maximize the
pressure in the cylinder during the power stroke. Maximizing pressure will
also produce the best engine efficiency, which translates directly into better
mileage. The timing of the spark is critical to success.
To make the best use of the fuel, the spark should occur before the piston reaches the top of the
compression stroke, so by the time the piston starts down into its power stroke the pressures are
high enough to start producing useful work.
Work = Force * Distance
In a cylinder:
Force = Pressure * Area of the piston
Distance = Stroke length
So, when we're talking about a cylinder, work = pressure * piston area * stroke length. And
because the length of the stroke and the area of the piston are fixed, the only way to maximize
work is by increasing pressure.
The timing of the spark is important, and the timing can either be advanced or retarded
depending on conditions.

Spark Plug
The spark plug is quite simple in theory: It forces electricity to arc across a gap, just like a bolt of
lightning. The electricity must be at a very high voltage to travel across the gap and create a good
spark. Voltage at the spark plug can be anywhere from 40,000 to 100,000 volts.
The spark plug must have an insulated passageway for this high voltage to travel down to the
electrode, where it can jump the gap and, from there, be conducted into the engine block and
grounded. The plug also must withstand the extreme heat and pressure inside the cylinder and
must be designed so that deposits from fuel additives do not build up on the plug.
Spark plugs use a ceramic insert to isolate the high voltage at the electrode, ensuring that the
spark happens at the tip of the electrode and not anywhere else on the plug; this insert does
double-duty by helping to burn off deposits. Ceramic is a poor heat conductor, so the material
gets quite hot during operation. This heat helps to burn off deposits from the electrode.
Some cars require a hot plug. This type of plug is designed with a ceramic insert that has a
smaller contact area with the metal part of the plug. This reduces the heat transfer from the
ceramic, making it run hotter and thus burn away more deposits. Cold plugs are designed with
more contact area, so they run cooler.

Ignition System Coil

The coil is a simple device -- essentially a high-voltage transformer made up of two coils of wire.
One coil of wire is called the primary coil. Wrapped around it is the secondary coil. The
secondary coil normally has hundreds of times more turns of wire than the primary coil.
Current flows from the battery through the primary winding of the coil.
The primary coil's current can be suddenly disrupted by the breaker
points, or by a solid-state device in an electronic ignition.
If you think the coil looks like an electromagnet, you're right -- but
it is also an inductor. The key to the coil's operation is what
happens when the circuit is suddenly broken by the points. The
magnetic field of the primary coil collapses rapidly. The secondary
coil is engulfed by a powerful and changing magnetic field. This
field induces a current in the coils -- a very high-voltage current (up
to 100,000 volts) because of the number of coils in the secondary
winding. The secondary coil feeds this voltage to the distributor via
a very well insulated, high-voltage wire.

Ignition System Distributor

The distributor handles several jobs. Its first job is to distribute the
high voltage from the coil to the correct cylinder. This is done by
the cap and rotor. The coil is connected to the rotor, which spins
inside the cap. The rotor spins past a series of contacts, one contact
per cylinder. As the tip of the rotor passes each contact, a high-
voltage pulse comes from the coil. The pulse arcs across the small gap between the rotor and the
contact (they don't touch) and then continues down the spark-plug wire to the spark plug on the
appropriate cylinder. When you do a tune-up, one of the things you replace on your engine is the
cap and rotor -- these eventually wear out because of the arcing. Also, the spark-plug wires
eventually wear out and lose some of their electrical insulation. This can be the cause of some
very mysterious engine problems.
A cam in the center of the distributor pushes a lever connected to one of the points. Whenever
the cam pushes the lever, it opens the points. This causes the coil to suddenly lose its ground,
generating a high-voltage pulse.
The points also control the timing of the spark. They may have a vacuum advance or a
centrifugal advance. These mechanisms advance the timing in proportion to engine load or
engine speed.
Spark timing is so critical to an engine's performance that most cars don't use points. Instead,
they use a sensor that tells the engine control unit (ECU) the exact position of the pistons. The
engine computer then controls a transistor that opens and closes the current to the coil.

Distributorless Ignition
In recent years, you may have heard of cars that need their first tune-up at 100,000 miles. One of
the technologies that enables this long maintenance interval is the distributorless ignition.
The coil in this type of system works the same way as the larger, centrally located coils. The
engine control unit controls the transistors that break the ground side of the circuit, which
generates the spark. This gives the ECU total control over spark timing.
Systems like these have some substantial advantages. First, there is no distributor, which is an
item that eventually wears out. Also, there are no high-voltage spark-plug wires, which also wear
out. And finally, they allow for more precise control of the spark timing, which can improve
efficiency, emissions and increase the overall power of a car.