Re: Pulstar spark plugs or snake oil? (fwd)

["High Voltage list" <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxxxx>



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:54:49 EST
From: Mddeming@xxxxxxx
To: hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Pulstar spark plugs or snake oil? (fwd)

 
HI Daniel,
 
Nine troublesome thoughts:
 
1) Voltage doesn't heat up anything.
 
2) Power (the rate at which energy is used) cannot, by definition, be  stored.
 
3) Once the fuel/air mixture around the spark is ignited, the  flame ignites 
the rest of the fuel in the cylinder, the spark itself is  irrelevant. A 
hotter initial spark does mean better ignition but this can be  achieved with a 
heavy-duty coil. The difference, outside of a racing  environment, is not great.
 
4) One joule of energy expended in one second is one watt. One joule  of 
energy expended in one millisecond is one kilowatt peak power. That same one  
joule of energy expended in the first microsecond is one megawatt peak power.  
It's all the same amount of energy being transferred, it's just the height and  
skinniness of the pulse that determines the peak power. (Power = energy / time  
interval).
 
5) IF it occurs, increased cylinder pressure = increased ring wear = loss  of 
power over time = early engine rebuild. Running at a higher pressure than the 
 rings and return springs were designed for does not increase long-term  
performance. 
 
6) Their "high speed video" is animation, not photographs, so  it can show 
anything they want it to.
 
7) In their comparison, two identical size crankshafts,  rotating at  
identical speeds, turning identical loads, are producing identical torque,  despite 
their big red arrows.
 
8) If, as I suspect, the "pulse circuit" is just a low ESR capacitor,  
depending on your car, the unanticipated capacitive load may wreak  havoc with the 
electronic ignition system, and like most caps with a spark gap  across them, 
these  will have a somewhat shortened life, after which  the "pulse plug" 
becomes an ordinary spark plug.
 
9) If, as I suspect, the "pulse circuit" is just a low ESR capacitor,  and 
there is resonance between the ignition coil and the capacitors in the  plugs, 
they may generate significant RFI at unanticipated frequencies.
 
Matt D.
 
"There is a point past which, adding more horses to your  carriage team 
results in more manure with no increase  in speed or comfort." Anon. 15th. century. 
engineer
 
 
 
In a message dated 1/14/08 9:50:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx writes:

Date:  Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:01:15 -0600
From: Daniel Hess  <dhess1@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: High Voltage list  <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Pulstar spark plugs or snake  oil?

Would anyone care to comment about these 'high-tech' spark plugs?  They 
sound like snake oil to me. Some of my family asked me about them so  I 
thought I'd defer to the list for some intelligent analysis.

For  example, 'the incoming voltage (which has nowhere to go) heats up 
ignition  components including the spark plug. This is wasted energy.' 
Until the gap  fires there is no current flow so therefore no heating can 
occur due to  circuit resistance, yes? This sounds like baloney to me.

Also, the text  of this ad claims that a normal spark plug dissipates about 
50 watts when  it fires (presumably in the gap) but these new Pulstar plugs 
claim 1  million watts at firing? That's a gain of 20,000, pretty 
impressive if  true. Sounds right up there with perpetual motion.

Comments  please?

Daniel

More  at;

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








**************Start the year off right.  Easy ways to stay in shape.     
http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489