Introduction
• The combustion in a spark ignition engine is
initiated by an electrical discharge across the
electrodes of a spark plug, which usually occurs
from 100 to 300 before TDC depending upon the
chamber geometry and operating conditions.
• The ignition system provides a spark of
sufficient intensity to ignite the air-fuel mixture
at the predetermined position in the engine cycle
under all speeds and load conditions.
Introduction – contd.
• In a four-stroke, four cylinder engine operating
at 3000 rpm, individual cylinders require a
spark at every second revolution, and this
necessitates the frequency of firing to be
(3000/2) x 4 = 6000 sparks per minute or 100
sparks per second. This shows that there is an
extremely short interval of time between firing
impulses.
Introduction – contd.
The internal combustion engines are not capable of
starting by themselves.
Engines fitted in trucks, tractors and other industrial
applications are usually cranked by a small starting
engine or by compressed air.
Automotive engines are usually cranked by a small
electric motor, which is better known as a starter
motor, or simply a starter. The starter motor for SI
and CI engines operates on the same principle as a
direct current electric motor.
Ignition System -Requirements
It should provide a good spark between the electrodes of the
plugs at the correct timing
The duration of the spark must be long enough with sufficient
energy to ensure that ignition of the mixture has a high
chance of occurring
The system must distribute this high voltage to each of the
spark plugs at the exact time in every cycle, i.e., it must have
in it a distributing device
It should function efficiently over the entire range of engine
speed
It should be light, effective and reliable in service
Glow plug ignition
One of the early ignition system employed was the glow
plug ignition used in some kinds of simple engines like
model aircraft .
A glow plug is a coil of nichrome wire that will glow red
hot when an electric current is passed through it. This
ignites the air-fuel mixture upon contact. The coil is
electrically activated from engine starting, and once it
runs, it will retain sufficient residual heat on each stroke
due to heat generated on the previous stroke. Glow
plugs are also used to aid starting of diesel engines.
Contact ignition
The other method used was the contact ignition.
It consisted of a copper or brass rod that
protruded into the cylinder, and was heated using
an external source. Heat conduction kept the
end of the rod hot, and ignition takes place when
the combustible mixture comes into its contact.
Naturally this was very inefficient as the fuel
would not be ignited in a controlled manner.
This type of arrangement was quickly
superseded by spark ignition.
Modern ignition systems
The development of high speed, high compression
internal combustion engine requires a reliable high-
speed ignition system. This is met by a high-tension
ignition system that uses a spark plug as the source
of ignition. The electrical energy to the spark plug is
supplied by one of the following systems and is
termed accordingly.
1. Battery ignition system
2. Magneto ignition system
3. Electronic ignition system
Battery ignition system
The primary circuit consists of the battery, ammeter,
ignition switch, primary coil winding, capacitor, and
breaker points. The functions of these components are:
Battery : provides the power to run the system
Ignition switch : allows the driver to turn the system on
and off
Primary coil : produces the magnetic field to create the
high voltage in the secondary coil
Breaker points : a mechanical switch that acts as the
triggering mechanism
Capacitor : protects the points from burning out
The secondary circuit converts magnetic
induction into high voltage electricity to jump
across the spark plug gap, firing the mixture at
the right time. The functions of the components
are:
• Secondary coil : the part of the coil that
creates the high voltage electricity
• Coil wire : a highly insulated wire to take the
high voltage to the distributor cap
• Distributor cap : a plastic cap which goes
on top of the distributor, to hold the high
tension wires in the right order
• Rotor : spins around on the top of the
distributor shaft, and distributes the spark to
the right spark plug
• Spark plug : another highly insulated wire
that takes the high leads voltage from the cap
to the plugs
• Spark plugs : take the electricity from the
wires, and give it an air gap in the combustion
chamber to jump across, to light the mixture
Magneto ignition system
The high powered, high speed spark ignition engines
like aircraft, sports and racing cars use magneto
ignition system. The basic components of a magneto
ignition system consist of a magneto, breaker points,
capacitor, ignition switch, distributor, spark plug
leads, and spark plugs .
Magneto can either be rotating armature type or
rotating magneto type. In the former, the armature
consisting of the primary and secondary windings all
rotate between the poles of a stationary magneto,
while in the second type, the magneto revolves and
the windings are kept stationary.
Electric Circuit
• Uses a changing magnetic field to generate
current in primary and secondary circuits
Magnetic Flux
• As magnet
approaches,
induces magnetic
flux in armature
• Breaker points close
and current
dissipates through
primary circuit
Spark Fires
• After magnet rotates
past armature flux
reverses direction,
and the breaker
points open
• Change in magnetic
flux produces 170
volts in primary circuit
• Induces 10,000 volts
in secondary circuit,
firing spark plug
Breaker Points
• Crankshaft rotation causes mechanical
actuation of breaker
Electronic ignition system
The disadvantage of the mechanical system is
that it requires regular adjustment to compensate
for wear, and the opening of the contact
breakers, which is responsible for spark timing,
is subject to mechanical variations.
In addition, the spark voltage is also dependent
on contact effectiveness, and poor sparking may
lower the engine efficiency. Electronic ignition
system has solved these problems.
Electronic ignition system
In this system, the contact breaker points are
replaced by an angular sensor of some kind
either optical , where a vaned rotor breaks a
light beam, or more commonly using a hall
effect sensor, which responds to a rotating
magnet mounted on a suitable shaft.
The sensor output processed by a suitable
circuitry is then used to trigger a switching
device such as a thyristor , which switches a
large flow of current through the coil.
Electronic ignition system – contd.
The rest of the system (distributor and spark
plugs) remains the same as that of the
mechanical system. The lack of moving parts
compared with the mechanical system leads to
greater reliability and longer service intervals. In
some older cars, it was usually possible to
retrofit an electronic ignition system in place of
the mechanical one.
Spark Plugs
• The spark plug ignites the air-fuel mixture
inside the cylinder. This occurs when high
voltage, triggered at precisely the right
instant, bridges the gap between the center and
the ground electrodes. It also provides a
secondary purpose of helping to channel some
heat away from the cylinder.
A cold plug has the advantage of quicker heat
transfer. It has a shorter insulator, and thereby
allowing heat to travel a shorter distance.
A hot plug has a longer insulator, and therefore,
heat travel path from firing tip to electrode is
longer. This enables it to operate at higher
temperature to compensate for the cooler
running engine.
Firing Order
Firing order indicates the sequence or order in
which the firing impulses occur in a multi-
cylinder spark ignition engine. It is chosen to
give a uniform torque, and hence a uniform
distribution of firing per revolution of the engine.
This is naturally dictated by the engine design,
the cylinder arrangement and the crankshaft
design. The firing order be such that there must
always be a proper balance so as to minimize the
engine vibration.
Firing Order
As for example, in a four-stroke, four-cylinder
engine, the firing or the ignition in all the
cylinders has to be completed in two revolutions
of the crankshaft. With crank throws at 180 , the
cylinders 1 and 4 will reach TDC at the same
time. Now, if the firing interval is made by 180 ,
the firing in cylinder-1 cannot be followed by
cylinder-4. For the same reason, the firing of
cylinder-2 cannot be followed by cylinder-3. As
such, the possible sequence is 1-2-4-3 or 1-3-4-2.
Firing Order
Consider another example of four-stroke, six-
cylinder inline engine, where cranks are set at
1200, and with the cylinders 1-6, 2-5 and 3-4 will
reach TDC simultaneously. Here, the possible
sequence is 1-5-3-6-2-4 or 1-4-2-6-3-5.
For radial engines, the cylinders are usually
numbered consecutively. Thus, for a seven-
cylinder radial engine, the sequence is
1,3,5,7,2,4,6.
