Ignition starts combustion
The etymology of ignition leads us to the modern Latin word ignitio , in turn derived from the late Latin word ignīre (which can be translated as “to burn” ). The process that starts combustion is called ignition.
Energy release
When the ignition of something occurs, therefore, a chemical reaction is generated between an oxidizable material and oxygen. This causes energy to be released and a flame to generally appear.
Ignition means that the heat emitted within the framework of the reaction is enough for said reaction to be maintained. In this way, the material in question turns red (if it is a non-combustible element) or ignites (when it is combustible).
The ignition point is the series of physical conditions that are needed for a combustible substance to begin to burn in the presence of a heat source and then continue to burn when said source (known as the ignition source ) is removed. The ignition point is associated with a certain temperature and pressure .
When environmental conditions are considered normal, we usually speak directly of ignition temperature : the number of degrees necessary for the fuel to burn and its flame to be preserved without it being necessary to incorporate more external heat .
ignition system
On the other hand, the mechanism that allows the activation and control of the combustion of a fuel inside a chamber is known as an ignition system . In the case of a car, for example, the ignition system makes it possible to start the engine. In more technical terms, its most important objective is to ignite the mixture between air and gasoline, maintaining the levels of revolutions per minute regardless of the load condition of the engine.
For the transmission of current, the spark plug and a spark plug wire are needed, in addition to the phenomenon that is informally known as spark . Simply put, electronic circuits connected with transistors are used to which the signal from the platinum reaches and is amplified to produce the control pulse in the ignition coil. The magnitude of current used by platinum is low, and for this reason we should not worry about its duration, since it is only necessary to replace it when the plastic cam wears out .
Let's talk about the aircraft ignition system. In the piston engine the transformation of the energy contained in the fuel is carried out so that it becomes mechanical energy. This occurs due to the explosion in the cylinders of the aforementioned air-fuel mixture. For the explosion to occur, a spark must jump across the spark plugs with a very precise level of synchronization . One of the functions of the ignition system is to produce the energy that gives rise to said spark.
The air and gasoline mixture is ignited by ignition.
Magneto or battery and coil
A classification of ignition systems presents us with the following two possibilities: magneto systems and battery and coil systems. The former is frequently used in aircraft engines; The second, on the other hand, is more common in cars, although electronic ignition has been prevailing over it for a long time.
The term magneto is very particular, since it can be used in both masculine and feminine; It is an electricity generator that is mainly used in combustion engines. Although the two systems work based on the same fundamental principles, the magneto only needs the lead wires and the spark plugs, but the other requires several more components.