Electric spark

An electric spark is an abrupt electrical discharge that occurs when a

sufficiently high electric field creates an ionized, electrically
conductive channel through a normally-insulating medium, often air
or other gases or gas mixtures. Michael Faraday described this
phenomenon as "the beautiful flash of light attending the discharge of
common electricity".[1]

The rapid transition from a non-conducting to a conductive state

produces a brief emission of light and a sharp crack or snapping
sound. A spark is created when the applied electric field exceeds the
dielectric breakdown strength of the intervening medium. For air, the
breakdown strength is about 30 kV/cm at sea level.[2] Experimentally, A spark on a spark plug
this figure tends to differ depending upon humidity, atmospheric
pressure, shape of electrodes (needle and ground-plane,
hemispherical etc.) and the corresponding spacing between them
and even the type of waveform, whether sinusoidal or cosine-
rectangular. At the beginning stages, free electrons in the gap (from
cosmic rays or background radiation) are accelerated by the
electrical field. As they collide with air molecules, they create
additional ions and newly freed electrons which are also
accelerated. At some point, thermal energy will provide a much
greater source of ions. The exponentially-increasing electrons and
ions rapidly cause regions of the air in the gap to become
Lightning is a natural example of an
electrically conductive in a process called dielectric breakdown.
electric spark.
Once the gap breaks down, current flow is limited by the available
charge (for an electrostatic discharge) or by the impedance of the
external power supply. If the power supply continues to supply current, the spark will evolve into a
continuous discharge called an electric arc. An electric spark can also occur within insulating liquids or
solids, but with different breakdown mechanisms from sparks in gases.

Sometimes, sparks can be dangerous. They can cause fires and burn skin.

Lightning is an example of an electric spark in nature, while electric sparks, large or small, occur in or near
many man-made objects, both by design and sometimes by accident.

Contents
History
Uses
Ignition sources
Radio communications
Metalworking
Chemical analysis
Hazards
 See also
References
External links

History
In 1671, Leibniz discovered that sparks were associated with
electrical phenomena.[3] In 1708, Samuel Wall performed experiments
with amber rubbed with cloth to produce sparks.[4] In 1752, Thomas-
François Dalibard, acting on an experiment proposed by Benjamin
Franklin, arranged for a retired French dragoon named Coiffier in the
village of Marly to collect lightning in a Leyden jar[5] thus proving
that lightning and electricity were equivalent. In Franklin's famous
kite experiment, he successfully extracted sparks from a cloud during
a thunderstorm.

Uses

Ignition sources

Electric sparks are used in spark plugs in gasoline internal combustion

engines to ignite fuel and air mixtures.[6] The electric discharge in a Benjamin Franklin drawing an
spark plug occurs between an insulated central electrode and a electric spark to his finger from a
grounded terminal on the base of the plug. The voltage for the spark is key suspended from a kite string.
provided by an ignition coil or magneto that is connected to the spark
plug with an insulated wire.

Flame igniters use electric sparks to initiate combustion in

some furnaces and gas stoves in place of a pilot flame.[7] Auto
reignition is a safety feature that is used in some flame igniters
that senses the electrical conductivity of the flame and uses
this information to determine whether a burner flame is lit.[8]
This information is used to stop an ignition device from
sparking after the flame is lit or restart the flame if it goes out.

Gas stove burner - the electric spark

Radio communications
flame igniter is shown at the left.

A spark-gap transmitter uses an electric spark gap to generate

radio frequency electromagnetic radiation that can be used as
transmitters for wireless communication.[9] Spark gap transmitters were widely used in the first three
decades of radio from 1887–1916. They were later supplanted by vacuum tube systems and by 1940 were
no longer used for communication. The wide use of spark-gap transmitters led to the nickname "sparks" for
a ship's radio officer.

Metalworking
Electric sparks are used in different kinds of metalworking. Electric
discharge machining (EDM) is sometimes called spark machining and
uses a spark discharge to remove material from a workpiece.[10]
Electrical discharge machining is used for hard metals or those that are
difficult to machine with traditional techniques.

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is a sintering technique that uses a

pulsed direct current that passes through a conductive powder in a
graphite die.[11] SPS is faster than conventional hot isostatic pressing,
where the heat is provided by external heating elements.

Chemical analysis
Spark transmitter used for ship to
The light that is produced by electric sparks can be collected and used shore communication up to 10
for a type of spectroscopy called spark emission spectroscopy.[12] km (c. 1900)."

A high energy pulsed laser can be used to produce an electric spark.

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a type of atomic emission spectroscopy that uses a high
pulse energy laser to excite atoms in a sample. LIBS has also been called laser spark spectroscopy
(LSS).[13]

Electric sparks can also be used to create ions for mass spectrometry.[14]

Hazards
Sparks can be hazardous to people, animals or even inanimate
objects. Electric sparks can ignite flammable materials, liquids,
gases and vapors. Even inadvertent static-discharges, or small
sparks that occur when switching on lights or other circuits, can be
enough to ignite flammable vapors from sources like gasoline,
acetone, propane, or dust concentrations in the air, such as those
found in flour mills or more generally in factories handling
powders.[15][16]

Sparks often indicate the presence of a high voltage, or "potential

field". The higher the voltage; the farther a spark can jump across a An electric spark produced by a stun
gap, and with enough energy supplied can lead to greater gun. At 150,000 volts, the spark can
easily jump a gap greater than an
discharges such as a glow or an arc. When a person is charged
inch (2.5 cm).
with high-voltage static-charges, or is in the presence of high-
voltage electrical supplies, a spark can jump between a conductor
and a person who is in close enough proximity, allowing the
release of much higher energies that can cause severe burns, shut down the heart and internal organs, or
even develop into an arc flash.

High-voltage sparks, even those with low energy such as from a stun gun, can overload the conductive
pathways of the nervous system, causing involuntary muscle-contractions, or interfere with vital nervous-
system functions such as heart rhythm. When the energy is low enough most of it may be used just heating
the air, so the spark never fully stabilizes into a glow or arc. However, sparks with very low energy still
produce a "plasma tunnel" through the air, through which electricity can pass. This plasma is heated to
temperatures often greater than the surface of the sun, and can cause small, localized burns. Conductive
liquids, gels or ointments are often used when applying electrodes to a person's body, preventing sparks
from forming at the point of contact and damaging skin. Similarly, sparks can cause damage to metals and
other conductors, ablating or pitting the surface; a phenomenon which is exploited in electric etching.
Sparks also produce ozone which, in high enough concentrations, can cause respiratory discomfort or
distress, itching, or tissue damage, and can be harmful to other materials such as certain plastics.[17][18]

See also
Corona discharge
Electrical breakdown
Paschen's law
Static electricity

References
1. Faraday, Experimental Researches in Electricity, volume 1 paragraph 69.
2. Meek, J. (1940). "A Theory of Spark Discharge". Physical Review. 57 (8): 722–728.
Bibcode:1940PhRv...57..722M (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1940PhRv...57..722M).
doi:10.1103/PhysRev.57.722 (https://doi.org/10.1103%2FPhysRev.57.722).
3. Kryzhanovsky, L. N. (1989). "Mapping the history of electricity". Scientometrics. 17: 165–170.
doi:10.1007/BF02017730 (https://doi.org/10.1007%2FBF02017730).
4. Heilbron, J. L.; Heilborn, J. L. (1979). Electricity in the 17th and 18th centuries: a study of
early Modern physics. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-03478-5.
5. Michael Brian Schiffer, Draw the Lightning Down: Benjamin Franklin and Electrical
Technology in the Age of Enlightenment. University of California Press, p 164
6. Day, John (1975). The Bosch book of the Motor Car, Its evolution and engineering
development. St. Martin's Press. pp. 206–207. LCCN 75-39516 (https://lccn.loc.gov/75-3951
6). OCLC 2175044 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2175044).
7. Bill Whitman; Bill Johnson; John Tomczyck (2004). Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
Technology, 5E. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning. pp. 677ff. ISBN 978-1-4018-
3765-5.
8. Ed Sobey (2010). The Way Kitchens Work: The Science Behind the Microwave, Teflon Pan,
Garbage Disposal, and More. Chicago, Ill: Chicago Review Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-
56976-281-3.
9. Beauchamp, K. G. (2001). History of telegraphy. London: Institution of Electrical Engineers.
ISBN 978-0-85296-792-8.
10. Jameson, Elman C. (2001). Electrical discharge machining. Dearborn, Mich: Society of
Manufacturing Engineers. ISBN 978-0-87263-521-0.
11. Munir, Z. A.; Anselmi-Tamburini, U.; Ohyanagi, M. (2006). "The effect of electric field and
pressure on the synthesis and consolidation of materials: A review of the spark plasma
sintering method". Journal of Materials Science. 41 (3): 763. Bibcode:2006JMatS..41..763M
(https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2006JMatS..41..763M). doi:10.1007/s10853-006-6555-2
(https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10853-006-6555-2).
12. Walters, J. P. (1969). "Historical Advances in Spark Emission Spectroscopy". Applied
Spectroscopy. 23 (4): 317–331. Bibcode:1969ApSpe..23..317W (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.e
du/abs/1969ApSpe..23..317W). doi:10.1366/000370269774380662 (https://doi.org/10.136
6%2F000370269774380662).
13. Radziemski, Leon J.; Cremers, David A. (2006). Handbook of laser-induced breakdown
spectroscopy. New York: John Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-09299-6.
14. Dempster, A. J. (1936). "Ion Sources for Mass Spectroscopy". Review of Scientific
Instruments. 7 (1): 46–49. Bibcode:1936RScI....7...46D (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/19
36RScI....7...46D). doi:10.1063/1.1752028 (https://doi.org/10.1063%2F1.1752028).
15. An Introduction to Physical Science by James Shipman, Jerry D. Wilson, Charles A.
Higgins, Omar Torres -- Cengage Learning 2016 Page 202
16. Dust explosion electrostatics
hazardshttps://powderprocess.net/Safety/Electrostatics_Risks_ATEX_DSEAR.html
17. Management of Hazardous Energy: Deactivation, De-Energization, Isolation, and Lock-out
By Thomas Neil McManus -- CRC Press 2013 Page 79--80, 95--96, 231, 346, 778, 780
18. Electrostatic Hazards by Günter Luttgens, Norman Wilson -- Reed Professional and
Educational Publishing Ltd. 1997

External links
Szikrakisülés (1)...(4) (http://www.fizkapu.hu/fizfilm/fizfilm3.html) Electric spark (1)...(4).
Videos on the portal FizKapu (http://www.fizkapu.hu) (in Hungarian).

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