Traditional center and ground electrodes
Tapered V-Profile ground
Ultra Fine Wire center electrode within a Surface Air Gap
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Quenching
Quenching is when the heat generated by the spark is absorbed by the center or ground electrodes instead of igniting the air/fuel mixture. To understand quenching and how it is reduced, it is first necessary to review the basic purpose of the spark plug is to ignite the air fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. To do this your vehicle ignition system generates tens of thousands of volts to jump the gap between the center and ground electrodes. However it is good to know that it is not the actual electricity that ignites the air fuel mixture, it is the heat energy generated by that electricity or spark. Therefore when you are creating the spark you want as much of the heat from that spark to be used to ignite the air fuel mixture and not have the heat from that spark be re-absorbed by the center and ground electrodes. Bosch fine wire platinum +2 and +4 as well as the Ir Fusion plugs all have fine wire center electrodes contained within a Surface Air Gap design and Bosch Super Plus plugs have Tapered V-Profile ground electrodes, both limit the contact(surface) area between the electrodes and the flame nucleus which helps reduce quenching. |
