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Spark Plugs for Multi-fuel Vehicles

Article · February 2006

DOI: 10.4271/2006-01-2630

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Spark Plugs for Multi-fuel Vehicles
Copyright © 2006 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc
ABSTRACT
Characteristics Multi-fuel vehicles demand great
interest nowadays. This technology makes it possible for
engine to work properly with any ethanol-gasoline mixture
or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The preexisting spark
plugs for either ethanol or gasoline engines have been
created based on different functional requirements. On this
context, to ensure a better performance in any mixed fuel-
ratio and CNG high compression rate it was necessary to
develop a spark plug taking into account the requirements
for both cases simultaneously. The purpose of this paper is
to enlighten the main technical spark plug features as
enhanced thermal elasticity, improved ignition reliability
through (Quick Heat™ design) and enhanced service life
(less sooting, improved corrosion protection). These
features provide considerable advantages for the multi-fuel
system like improved idle stability, superior cold start and
post-start performance, reduced CO (Carbon Monoxide)
and HC (Hydrocarbonate) emissions making this spark plug
as an environment-friendly product.
BACKGROUND
It has been over 100 years since the first spark plug was
patented. Throughout this time, continuous development
and close collaboration with vehicle producers have ensured
spark plugs superior quality and liability. Such expertise has
been currently applied to Multi-fuel Engine Management
Systems, in which all efforts are expected to establish the
technology of the very near future. Meanwhile, countries all
over the globe have been facing the same question: How to
develop an efficient alternative energy source to oil? For the
time being, within the scope of that matter flexible fuel
systems might be the best response to every single question
it may arise.
1
2006-01-2630
Fabiano Bisetto
Robert Bosch Ltda.
Juliano Toniolo
Ricardo Menezes
Robert Bosch Ltda.
INTRODUCTION
Spark plugs for Flex-fuel systems applications are
extremely solicited, due to severe surrounding environment
that must be able to withstand. As a rule, with different
fuels working on simultaneously, the spark plugs are
expected to have an enhanced thermal elasticity, i.e., they
should contemplate high temperatures generated for alcohol
utilization and also need to avoid sooting when exposed to
gasoline combustion. The preexisting spark plugs would
probably have no use to Multi-fuel combustion systems.
Generally, spark plugs designed for gasoline application,
when subjected to work in particular for ethanol, it will be
more likely to fail due to higher work temperature inside the
combustion chamber.
As main challenges for the further development of
spark plugs it is very important to consider some particular
aspects. At first, an optimized adapting thermal elasticity
range pondering both cases (ethanol-gasoline purposes),
that can ensure the system ignition reliability. Then one has
also to bear in mind the relevance to cover both extremes
and to withstand higher temperature with ethanol and
assuring sooting auto cleaner properties with gasoline as
well.
In addition to this, the spark plugs plays a very
important role within the scope of the engines development
and calibration, and following the continuous environmental
restrictions, its functionality must present more and more
concern about new emissions regulations.
There are some critical points for emissions that are
worth highlighting:
• Tight emission limits force car makers to redesign and
improve their engines
• Cold phase of emission cycle is critical when using E-
100 fuel (pure Ethanol). There is a high level of HC
emitted during this phase, especially during cold start
• Since high efficiency engines are developed to obtain The implementation of low cost new electrode
better fuel consumption, higher temperatures and lean materials as shown in Figure 1 ensures an extended service
operation are the results, which generate more NOx life. The new nickel-yttrium alloy (right) compared with
emissions – another concern standard nickel (left): wear is considerable lower after
90.000 km of continuous highway operation.
• Flex-fuel vehicles are a trend in market consumption
because at the moment they issued already roughly 60
% of all sales cars in Mercosul. This kind of application
lead car makers and automotive suppliers to working
on continuous challenges for emissions improvements
Based upon the increasing demand of Flex-fuel
vehicles, it is fact that we are facing a solid change led by
customers from Mercosul economic region toward flexible
fuel systems, both currently and in the near future.

DESIGN AND CHARACTERISTICS

The spark plug is an assembly of different components

like shell, central and ground electrodes, ceramic insulator,
and terminal nut. It has a meaningful task in the whole
process that precedes the combustion of air-fuel mixture,
since it is the main responsible for the start through ignition
voltage.
The assembly complexity is even higher when
regarding to the properties of the electrodes (ground and
central) materials, which should be taken into analysis in
order to guarantee all desirable characteristics for Flex-Fuel
applications.
Many materials such as alloys (nickel-yttrium, nickel-
aluminum and manganese-silicon) and pure metals (nickel,
silver and aluminum) have been used so far, but after
several studies and experiments nickel-yttrium alloy has
shown the best cost-performance ratio when compared to
other materials.
The main features of a typical spark plug for Multi-fuel
are:
• Air-gap design; Improves cold start and service life
• Ground electrode; Nickel-yttrium alloy with copper
core, allows advanced spark position in the combustion
chamber, significantly improving drivability, service
life, CO, and HC emissions
• Central electrode; Nickel-yttrium alloy with copper
core, provides larger thermal elasticity, especially
suitable for Flex-fuel engines. Optimized design, it
improves cold start and service life, demanding lower
ignition voltage
• Shell; Nickel-plated spark plug shell for improved
corrosion protection
Figure 1. Nickel-yttrium alloy compared with standard
Nickel alloy
BENEFITS
When designing spark plugs, the gap between ground
and central electrode is strictly required for built-in
characteristics. There are some problems concerning gap
growth after long service life, after all, due to the
electrode’s corrosion/erosion, which is much more critical
using ethanol than gasoline. The gap size affects directly the
demand voltage requirement from ignition coil. In this case
must be used a material with less susceptible wear, that it
will not requisite an elevated demand voltage, increasing
the ignition coil service-life.
As previously pointed out, a solution for this problem
may be reducing gap growth by using improved nickel-
yttrium alloy as shown in the Figure 2 with results from a 6
cylinder, 2.5 l, 90 W engine.
The Figure 2 shows gap growth related to operation
time for three different electrode materials. In the case of
improved nickel-yttrium alloy one can notice relevant
reducing of the gap growth in comparison to standard nickel
alloy. When related to precious Metal alloy, the gap growth
observed for improved nickel-yttrium alloy is still high, but
taking into account the cost-performance ratio of each one
of them, one can endorse based upon research the use of
improved nickel-yttrium alloy for quality enhancement
purposes with low costs.

• Ceramic insulator; Its special geometry (Quick Heat™

design) increases ignition reliability and thermal
elasticity, generating less sooting on the Spark Plug
insulator

2

Figure 2. Gap Growth x time progression
In summary, the requirements to consider as spark plug
functionality under the scope of Multi-fuel systems are
properly listed below:
• Enhanced thermal elasticity, especially suitable for
flex-fuel and tri-fuel engines
• Improved idle stability
• Superior cold start and post-start Performance
• Improved ignition reliability through Quick Heat™
design
• Reduced CO and HC emissions
• Enhanced service life (less sooting, improved
corrosion protection)
COMPUTER AIDED ENGINEERING
From the very first stages of engine design one has to
count on all expertise in practice to apply for combustion
process optimization, where its accuracy could only be
reached and monitored through computational tools and
methods.
Naturally, for spark plug it would not be different,
since designing a spark plug requires define how tolerant
and reliable it will be by simulating tests in computer
software. When the computationally monitored spark plug
is subjected to an extreme environment condition with high
compression rates and high temperatures in the combustion
chamber, one collects data from computer program and then
it will be possible to define a better heat range according to
the specified engine design.
The spark plug heat range is defined relatively with
engine calibration, and on the spark plug label it can be
easily identified by codes in terms of numbers, for instance
Bosch Spark Plugs from 2 up to 13 levels. A higher level
3
means the spark plug to be characterized as warm one and
from 2 up to 5 (for example) means the spark plugs to be
characterized as colder. As warmer as the spark plug is, the
heat conduction through the insulator will be lower, because
of its length. The figure 3 shows the dissipation heat flow
trough two different insulator length.
Figure 3. Isolator foot design concerning heat dissipation
There are some tests (spark plug thermometric trials,
ionic current technique for heat range determination, among
others) commonly used to promote a fine tuning to every
engine and so far are the best references to achieve spark
plug mandatory requirement targets.
To enlighten what was said before within the scope of
this paper these two previously mentioned tests, which are
computationally assisted, would be worth presenting, for
their importance in the production of reliable and optimized
spark plugs. They are sequentially listed below:
• The thermometric and engine trials conducted inside
the combustion chamber are monitored via
hardware/software assembles based on computer
system, measurement cables, thermocouples and other
devices, which are responsible for the transmission of
meaningful data, used to analyze spark plug behavior as
a function of engine rotation speed for each cylinder.
So it is possible to preview temperature behavior in
different cylinders of the same engine before designing
the spark plug for the engine configuration
• Next, to define based upon the spontaneously
combustion occurrences (pre-ignition and pos-ignition)
the best spark plug heat range for determined
combustion engine
After these two trials above mentioned, the correctly
spark plug heat range must be determined, taking into
account the following procedure:
• To define under uppermost temperature charge the
thermal ranges limits
• To guarantee that the spark plugs will not ignite the
fuel without the ignition coil energy, when subjected to
high temperature
• Since the spark plugs are not allowed to get excessively
hot during engine service, it is very important to know
when the spark plug will probably begin to irradiate,
due the high temperature in the combustion chamber.
At this point one determines its upper thermal range
limit
During engine service there is heat flowing throughout
the spark plug, especially in the course of the insulator. In
case that the spark plug heat range does not apply to its
engine application, some inconvenient consequences may
occur, as the insufficient heat dissipation through the
insulator.
Following selection of a suitable spark plug design
concept, one proceeds to adapt the heat range for individual
engine application. With temperature-measurement spark
plugs, one determines the hottest cylinder. The ionic test
method (as mentioned before) allows defining the heat
range with improved accuracy, thus preventing against
undesirable heat-induced ignition. Such accuracy is
particularly desirable for Flex-fuel and tri-fuel engines,
where wider thermal ranges are required.
The ionic current test procedure exploits the ionizing
effects of flames to assess the progress of arc-over and
flame propagation based on conductivity of the discharge
gap. Figure 4 shows aspects of the used software and the
ionic current curve.
normal ignition point) and engine damage it may cause
during operation.
CONCLUSIONS
The study shown that the spark plugs applicable for
Multi-fuel vehicles should present superior properties of the
thermal elasticity, idle stability, ignition reliability, emission
suppression and service life. Today, the Flex-fuel vehicles
require specially drafted spark plugs, which are significantly
more resistant under high temperatures and high
compression rates than those preexisting employed. These
spark plugs are increasingly required to take environmental
legislation into account as well.
The cutting-edge technology involved on these spark
plugs uses specific geometry designs and materials as
nickel-yttrium alloy guaranteeing an outstanding quality
product.
Brazil meets with an established infrastructure firstly to
export Flex-fuel cars and technology around the world and
auto industry executives declare interest from abroad is
increasing. Essentially, the most important differential for
spark plugs pertinent to Flex-fuel system is based on its
technological difference on product design and engineering
support services.
As oil becomes more and more expensive, ethanol
becomes more competitively priced and the alternative of
flexible fuel seen as economically feasible. The effort to
develop specific spark plugs is underway due to higher
growth in the production of Flex-fuel systems.

REFERENCES

1. Dipl.- Ing. Breuser Erich, Zündung im Ottoengine

Robert Bosch GmbH – Gelbe Reihe publishing 2002,
pp 50-77.
2. http://www.anfavea.com.br

Figure 4. Ionic current for heat range determination

This test is conducted with the spark plug subjected to

conditions of extreme thermal stress, and thus usually at
work temperature, in different rpm ranges. For this test, the
ignition spark is suppressed at various intervals. The
monitored ion-flow signal serves as an index for detecting
auto-ignition caused by hot spots on the spark plug.
Accurate heat range definition is crucial for reliable
prevention of pre-ignition (heat-induced ignition prior to

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