PULSED PLASMA IGNITION - AN OPTIMIZED MULTIPLE PULSE CD IGNITION USING AN OPTIMIZED VOLTAGE DOUBLING IGNITION COIL
A capacitive discharge pulsed plasma ignition system using a novel ultra-high efficiency ignition coil (3) with an optimized high current and high voltage output. The ignition coil (3) is preferably used with a high pulse rate, high efficiency, multiple pulse ignition box providing rapid pulsed plasma ignition sites. The coil (3) has a low winding turns ratio of about 40, low primary and secondary inductances (1, 2) and resistances (11, 12), low loss in its core (3a), low secondary capacitance (5), and is used in conjunction with a capacitor (4) of capacitance between 1 and about 20 microfarads. The system uses voltage doubling at the spark gap (9) with a very high rate of rise of voltage and peak value of voltage through coil/capacitor design combination to fire a wide spark gap (9) and provide a very high current.