Cruiserdude

So I've been hearing about a new product recently, been coming across it in a few boards and websites. It's called the Pulse Plug, and it claims to reinvent the spark plug. At first, it sounds alot like Nology Hotwires, but there actually appears to be some real science behind this.

98vtec and I have been discussing this via AIM, and we're wondering about the workability of this concept. Wouldn't the rapid ignition and pressure build up be too much for the motor all at once, and be similar to detonation rather than a controlled burn? But then again, if the entire process of combustion is sped up while remaining stable, it seems this would allow your engine to burn fuel more efficiently, rev up faster, and ultimately produce more power more quickly, which is, of course, what we're all after.

I'm wanting to know if anyone else has heard of this, has any experience with this, or would know something useful about this concept in general. Could these be used without any tuning on a stock engine to increase power and fuel efficiency? Would they have to be tuned in order to prevent damage, and would it be worth it? Is there any forseeable benefits to these at all? They're around $100 a set, so testing them wouldn't be cheap, especially considering the possibility of engine damage if the concept is flawed. But I'd really like to know everyone's thoughts on this. Here's the link, discuss....

http://www.pulstarplug.com/index.html

98vtec

my catch with them is that if they burn fuel so fast and power then what happens when all the fuel is gone? burnt up cylinders and incredibly lean mixtures? Not to mention with his amount of pressure being created, i wouldnt think you could run traditional ignition timing. On an even remotely powerful car, i wouldnt see the ability to have your ignition start even 10* before TDC. Maybe with some C16 fuel, it would work ok.....


I understand what they are trying to accomplish and it makes sense, but they have neglected, imo, to research what changes would need to be made to control the ignition.

Cruiserdude

Yeah, for instance, I would hate to think what would happen if your entire mixture had fully ignited before the cylinder had reached TDC....

98vtec

with enough load and RPM, bye bye rod/bearing.

Kyle R

iTrader: (1)

<--kinda skeptical at this point.

quicksilver1689

they are going to make alot of money

JimBlake

Once the spark ignites it's kernel, the flame front propagates at a speed that's determined by it's own nonequilibrium thermodynamics. Hotter, shiner, blingier spark has nothing at all to do with it once the flame front has started.

Kinda like the speed of sound. It doesn't matter how you make a sound in the first place. Clap your hands; over drive a Klipsh Horn with 10x the voltage; or set off some C4. Once the sound begins moving away from the source, it travels at the same speed.

Maybe it's a more reliable spark, or it has SOME feature that does a better job igniting the kernel? But I've never seen a good technical explanation without pseudo-science smoke & mirrors.

There's also good science behind Bosch Pt+4 plugs, the surface arc being more accessible to the mixture. Not hidden underneath it's own electrode. How good does THAT work in Hondas??

VTECnKEN

"When the ignition signal is sent to a traditional spark plug, it begins to ionize the spark gap. This means that the voltage builds in the gap until a spark can be formed. During this ionization phase, which lasts about 5 millionths of a second, the incoming voltage (which has nowhere to go) heats up ignition components including the spark plug. This is wasted energy."
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Voltage doesn't create heat, current flow and the resistance it encounters does. The voltage doesn't flow until spark occurs.
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Even if the potential for current flow did heat the ignition components up and became so-called "wasted energy," the ignition module will automatically create enough voltage to make up for that loss.
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All OEM modules are more than capable of these compensations. A legitimate case of this is overcoming the extra resistance in the ignition system after being heat-soaked (warm engine).
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"When the ignition voltage overcomes the resistance in the spark gap, the spark is created with an initial discharge of approximately 50 watts. Once created, the spark resides between the electrodes at very low power for over a period of 30 millionths of a second."
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Rating the output in watts is bizarre. The ignition system is a high-voltage, low-amperage system.
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An OEM module on the spark plug side can create up to 40,000 volts if necessary. An H22A4 (mine specifically) puts out about 7,000 volts at idle/no load and around 13,000 volts during snap-throttle acceleration. Amperage on our type of ignition is less than 1 amp. So, a supposed firing line of "50 watts" wouldn't even create a spark.
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At idle, the spark duration is about 1.5 milliseconds, not 30 millionths of a second like the article says. Under snap-throttle, duration can be around .5 milliseconds. A spark that only lasted for 30 millionths of a second would misfire if at all. Other cars I've put a scope on have similar readings.
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My point is, these numbers (50 watts, 30 millionths of a second) are just placed here to make you think these plugs are doing something better when they list some higher numbers later on in the article (because more always means better, right?).
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"What is different about a pulse plug is that instead of heating ignition parts during the ionization phase, this energy is stored in the integral circuit inside the pulse plug. When the ignition power overcomes the resistance in the spark gap, the pulse circuit discharges all of its accumulated power - 1 million watts - in 2 billionths of a second!"
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When the ignition module builds up enough voltage to jump the gap, it doesn't need this extra voltage that's discharged from this "pulse circuit." Whether it takes 12 volts or 40,000 volts to jump the spark plug gap, the ignition module will build it up.
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The air/fuel ratio, the resistance in the circuit, and the compression determine how much voltage is necessary to make this jump. The only time these factors change enough to warrant upgrading the module is turbo/SC/No2.
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Voltage takes the path of least resistance because it's lazy. It's not going to use extra voltage to jump a gap if it doesn't have to. If it only takes 7kV to jump a gap, 12kV will jump it too, but it doesn't change anything except for decreasing the lifespan of your ignition module as well as the plug electrodes.
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"A simple way to think about pulse plugs is that they are similar to a camera flash, whereas spark plugs are more like a flashlight. A camera flash is exponentially brighter than a flashlight even though they both may use the same battery."
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Again, more is not better. An ignition module automatically gives you more voltage when it's needed. And, it has plenty to give when you need it (hard acceleration/ high rpm). Why use a stick of dynamite(their "camera flash") to light your cigarette when a match(their flashlight) does the job just as well?
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"Tests at an independent laboratory demonstrate how Pulstar™ pulse plugs burn fuel more efficiently than spark plugs. In this high-speed video (shot at 68,000 frames per second), you can actually see the ignition plume of Pulstar™ growing at more than twice the speed of the spark plug. Pulstar™ generates a much larger spark than spark plugs, which reduces overall burn time and burns the fuel more completely. Once created, the spark dissipates over a period of 30 millionths of a second."
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I've never even heard of an "ignition plume." If it's supposed to represent flame propagation, increasing it's speed when you don't need it will just result in a loss of power or cracking a rod. Not to mention, an ICM will automatically create the necessary burn time to allow for proper flame propagation.
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The required firing voltage and burn time have an intimate relationship with one another. With a high firing voltage, the burn time is shorter. With a low firing voltage, the burn time is longer. "Reducing overall burn time" during low firing voltages would result in a loss of power. "Reducing overall burn time" during high firing voltages could reduce power and would only be beneficial to highly modified engines (turbo/sc/No2).
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If spark duration was "30 millionths of a second" even at idle, the car would be msifiring if it didn't just plain stall out. Even if they're talking about voltage dissipation after the spark is over, these oscillations will last at least .5 milliseconds.
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"With increased cylinder pressure, the pistons are pushed down with more force, which, in turn, generates more torque in the crankshaft, more liveliness to the throttle and more power to the wheels.
Of course, if you don't use this torque to go faster, the engine does its work with less effort resulting in better fuel economy.
Another way that Pulstar™ improves efficiency is by reducing cycle-to-cycle variation. Cycle-to-cycle variation occurs in every engine to some degree and is caused by the dynamics of combustion, load, fuel quality, mixture of air to fuel and many other combustion variables. These variables can cause the spark plug to generate a weak spark and in the worst case, a misfire. This variability in ignition timing robs all spark ignited, internal combustion engines of up to 10% of their efficiency."
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This is all true. Too bad for them that this product doesn't actually increase cylinder pressure nor does it improve power balance amongst the cylinders.
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All engines increase cylinder pressure as rpms increase and loads increase. To use another real-world example, cylinders can have up to 2,000 volts difference between them before you see any reductions in performance, efficiency, or emissions. My H22A4 had so little variance that it couldn't even be read on the scope. Most cars have very little variance unless there was something wrong to begin with.
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The ONLY way these claims would be true was if your old plugs were shot and you stick these in. You'd be gaining the same improvements as just buying brand new regular plugs.
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To summarize. . .
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This company is using ignition theory but they've totally mutated it with inaccurate readings and claims that their product does something that normal plugs/ignition systems don't already do.
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I have no doubt the product works as a means of ignition. . . as a very expensive regular spark plug.
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Regardless of how a company claims to increase the "power" of a spark, increasing the firing voltage comes at the expense of a shorter spark duration.
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They claim to increase fuel efficiency (light load/cruising). Shortening the spark duration in a light load/cruising condition is not ideal. Firing voltage should be low with a long spark duration if the engine speed is moderate, the load is light, and the mixture is stoichiometric (cruising for fuel economy).
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By the way, the fuel economy readings are from an E-PEP test, which sounds like an EPA test but it's not. E-PEP stands for Enerpulse Performance Evaluation Procedure. Enerpulse is the company that makes these pulse plugs. So, just how accurate are these horsepower/torque/economy readings???
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This company isn't the only one guilty. I've seen the big-brand plug companies make some crazy-*** statements about how their plugs work. I'll save that for another post though.




Modified by VTECnKEN at 10:26 AM 7/25/2007

Kyle R

iTrader: (1)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VTECnKEN &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Why use a stick of dynamite(their "camera flash") to light your cigarette when a match(their flashlight) does the job just as well?
</TD></TR></TABLE>

HAHAHAHHAHAHHA. Great comparison!!!! Awesome post by the way. Don't you just hate false "technical" jargon.

mmuller

brisk spark plugs will do for me

Kyle R

iTrader: (1)

NGK's will do it for me

Cruiserdude

Great stuff, Ken! Thanks alot for clearing all that up so eloquently. I was quite skeptical of them myself, but then they seemed quite interesting at the same time. I was hoping to get a thorough discussion, and that's what I got. Thanks alot for clearing this up for everyone! :D

thesmogman

Is this like the MSD system? I believe that the multi spark is only at idle.

You can't just put plug's in and get muiti spark. The spark is from the coil discharging. So it has to be a whole ignition system.

Idle is where most cars run terrible from a smog stand point. This could clean it up a bit.

Cruiserdude

Yes, multiple spark requires an aftermarket system, not just plugs. And the MSD system gives you a multiple spark all the way up to 3k rpm, and a "cleaner, more powerful" spark above that. Not sure exactly how it works, but its been shown that it does.

dropkneeyoungin

hey ken, thx for clearing all that **** up. ive been seeing these ads in magazines of late, and i got to admit, their marketing campaign does seem pretty top notch. in the end, i knew it was bogus. thx again.

WeakSauce92

haha, two years later and still helping idiots like me realize the truth and probably saving my engine :D thank you!

fcm

Pulse plugs are not multi-spark, it is a single spark, what they have done is have the resistance "build up" before spark internally, instead of at the electrode, the spark is much more intense and faster, [spark plume grows about twice as fast as a "normal" spark plug] this has been shown by independent high speed filming.

They are not recommended for anything but stock engines, use of the plugs in boosted engines, [turbo/supercharger/nitrous] or anything that increases displacement or compression is not recommended.

For all the crap that there is out there that claims to save you gas and increase hp, this is one product that seems to have "real" technology behind it, my concern with it is, at the price, will I save enough on gas and feel enough of an increase in performance for it to be cost effective, how many Clicks can I put on them before having to replace them? 94

Scott_Tucker

I honestly wish I had no morals. I would design a spark plug and use psuedo-science to brainwash people into buying it. I would also create an oil additive. It would use PTFE, LMNOP, and many other letters as its ingredients.

I think the analogy about lighting a cigarette with a stick of dynamite hits the nail on the head. You just don't need it and it is not going to produce any better mileage or more power. They say in their ad that spark plug technology has not changed in 100 years. I would disagree. The use of exotic metals has increased electrode life 10x. Plus, the improvements have been made in the ignition control system itself, where it counts and actually does make an improvement in power and mileage.

DCFIVER

Much like the Bosch +4, they are crap.

nskforlife

they make great paperweights...

xzodiackillerx

for starters look up The law of conservation of energy

1.length of time with a spark is the part that is causing issues with this product..you need time to ignite fuel. super hot and quick is not as good as hot and long. think about the last time you tried to light something on fire.. a match held on a paper will light it faster and better than a spark from a grinder .
2. it uses capacitance which takes the electricity from the coil and stores it for a very short time then releases it all at once later that when it would have been if normal plugs were used.
3.capacitors are used to shift phases or delay current in order to turn AC to DC. do you want your spark late?

more info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor