Interesting new spark plug tech....plasma plugs

Interesting. The big "tell" will be if these new plasma sparked engines have the same size radiators or ones half the size of today's engines. If we're gonna get 100mpg from the same gallon, there's the BTU's lost to heat.... and that's over 50% of the gallon. Show me a smaller radiator... please!
Well... that and smaller tailpipes. ;)
 
I've actually been following this for some time. Ford experimented with plasma ignition about twenty years ago, never put any emphasis on development. A significant volume of fuel is lost, unburned, via the exhaust. It's currently used to feed the catalytic converters to raise their temp, in order to catalyze excessive HCs, and remediate CO and NOx (oxidation and reduction catalysts). We've been conditioned to believe that the stoichiometric value for a gasoline combustion engine is 14.7 parts air to 1 part fuel, when it's actually 15.3, by the math. 14.7 simply gives us the lowest combined level of exhaust gases, not true stoic for HC catalyzation. With plasma ignition, gasoline could run around 20:1 instead. We'd still have thermal losses due to heat migration into metal engine components, and still have the same volume of exhaust, which is determined by intake air volume, not by combustion efficiency. Now, I'm not saying I think this guy has cracked all problems with plasma ignition, but the science referenced by the article is possible.
 
Jim said:
Interesting. The big "tell" will be if these new plasma sparked engines have the same size radiators or ones half the size of today's engines. If we're gonna get 100mpg from the same gallon, there's the BTU's lost to heat.... and that's over 50% of the gallon. Show me a smaller radiator... please!
Well... that and smaller tailpipes. ;)
Click to expand...
But if the magic angry pixies are capable of releasing more unicorn farts, there will be less fuel needed and the heatsicles will be fewer, so maybe same radiator size.
Been a long time since I did any real chemistry, but the notion that plasma sets off a different set of heat-releasing reactions just smells of bovine excrement, that's all I'm saying.
 
Interesting article, Gary. Over my head, but it did show that plasma technology does improve combustion efficiency (unless I read it wrong). I gotta believe that engineer mentioned in the Newsweek article is well aware of prior research. It'll be interesting to hear whether he can overcome the limitations/longevity issues mentioned in the article you posted. I personally am not sold on going EV, and hope new tech can breathe some extended life into our conventional combustion engines while achieving the greener climate initiatives. Hydrogen fuel cells just might be the next thing, who knows.
 
and IIRC, Saturn/GM experimented heavily with plasma and ion-sensing ignition during their research on HCCI engines back in the 90's, too.
 
Stratified charge another way to smoothly fire off a very lean mixture.
Honda did it with a "pre combustion" chamber fed by it's own valve and mix
Think they sold civics with that motor for several years.
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When Chevy said oh sure you can do that on tiny little civic motor but not a on a big V8, Honda bought a new chev put on CVCC heads and sent it to Chevy. ;^)
Full tale here; https://www.hemmings.com/stories/20...missions-and-a-cvcc-equipped-chevrolet-impala
 
Mitsu did something similar with a 'jet' valve. Rich initial mixture, then an air jet to lean the mix after combustion began.
 

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