Computer simulation of Plasma Spark Plug firing circuit By Bilesh Ladva In the lab of Professor Szymon Suckewer

What is a Plasma Spark Plug (PSP)? Composed of three different electrodes surrounding a central electrode. Plasma is produced between a pair of electrodes. Accelerated along electrodes by (Lorentz) forces.

Picture of PSP

Why is a Plasma Spark plug useful? Useful for more efficient fuel combustion. The plasma created between electrodes is generally much larger than conventional electric spark plugs This means there is a greater surface area to ignite the fuel.

Practical uses of PSP The main potential use of PSP is in aeroplane engines. The use of PSPs will greatly reduce the volume of fuel wasted. This in turn will lower the greenhouse gas production and the overall carbon footprint.

Outline of the project The project was split into three main parts: 1. A one week introductory course in Plasma Physics. 2. Time spent working with the PSP and the firing circuit directly 3. Modeling the firing circuit ( the main part)

Modeling the firing circuit The program used was called Pspice/Cadence. It was very user- friendly. The practical experience with the circuit was helpful in designing experiments to measure certain parameters of the circuit.

Obstacles faced during modeling The Transformer: a crucial element in the circuit, designed to produce high voltages required for Plasma formation. The computer program could not cope with the extreme conditions the transformer was being used under and could not model it correctly The Timer (of the firing of pulses) circuit: this was created entirely in the lab and did not exist in the Pspice/Cadence database. Therefore, it needed to be built basic components.

Current status of the project The project is currently in its initial testing phase. Although, additional improvements may still be needed on the Transformer in order to make the simulation realistic.

Future of the project Creating a successful model will allow several aspects to be investigated. In addition, it will identify key problems within the circuit( such as anomalous current and voltage readings). Finally, it should greatly speed up the testing process to produce faster results.