Tuesday, 21 May 2019

Magneto Ignition System and Problems in Aero Engine Ignition System



Introduction:
Some of the major drawbacks of battery ignition system are listed below:
a.      There are chances of discharging of battery,
b.      There are chances of misfiring at higher speed of the engine,
c.      It requires complicated wiring,
d.      There are chances of failure of system,
e.      There are many mechanical complications in the operation of the system.
These difficulties experienced with battery ignition system can be avoided by using magneto ignition system.


Magneto Ignition System:
It is exactly same like battery ignition except the source of generation is magnet instead of the battery. There are three types of magneto ignition system, namely:
a.      Rotating magnet system,
b.      Rotating armature type system,
c.      Polar inductor magneto.
Advantages:
a.      It is more reliable compared to coil ignition system, because there is no maintenance problem in magneto ignition system,
b.      It is used for medium to high speeds. Also it is very popularly used in racing cars,
c.      Space required is less as compared to coil ignition system,
d.      By providing suitable shunts on magnet, the danger of burning of spark plug is minimised,
e.      Very light in weight and compact in size,
f.       Automatic time adjusting of ignition can be affected.
Disadvantages:
a.      Initial cost is very high as compared to coil ignition system,
b.      To start with, 75 RPM is necessary,
c.      For high power engines, some other devices are necessary to start an ignition.

Problems in Aero Engine Ignition System:
Problems are met in providing ignition for aircraft engines which do not arise in connection with automobile engines and certain features are incorporated in aeroengine ignition systems to meet the special requirements.
Long periods of continuous operation impose severe mechanical strain on the rotating parts of the magnet and distributor units and these are designed to combine maximum strength with minimum weight in order to insure almost reliability under working conditions. Contact breakers and sparking plugs are sources of radio interference because they transmit electromagnetic waves and a method known as screening is used to prevent the waves interfering with radio reception. Their effect of screening and the use of weaker fuel mixtures in aero engines make it necessary for the ignition system to produce a higher H.T voltage than with other types of engines.
It is usual duplicate the ignition system by using two magnets, each cylinder being provided with two sparking plugs. Each system is quite independent of the other, but in most cases they are synchronized so as to give simultaneous sparks in the cylinder.
This arrangement gives a slight increase in power and if one system fails, the engine will operate quite well on the other.
The effects of high working temperatures tend to cause leakage of the H.T currents as stated previously. The resistance of insulating materials decreases with the rise in temperatures. Special consideration is given to the kinds of insulation materials employed in aero ignition system.
Variation of spark timing in accordance with engine speed, load and mixture conditions is a necessity and an arrangement whereby this is carried out automatically is essential.
Magneto ignition system is the general rule in aircraft and since the H.T voltage of a magnet is largely dependent on the speed at which the magnetic spindle is rotated, there is difficulty in starting an aero engine without special apparatus to ensure an efficient spark.


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