Tech Review: Brisk USA’s Surface Discharge Spark Plugs For Nitrous Applications

Mike Galimi · March 16, 2018

NMCA Xtreme Street racer and event winner Scotty Guiler also uses Brisk USA plugs in his nitrous-oxide assisted, big-block Chevy-powered Oldsmobile.

By Steve Baur

Photos by FSC

"If you’re a late-model Ford enthusiast, then there’s a really good chance that you’re running Brisk USA spark plugs in your ride, especially if it’s boosted with a supercharger or turbocharger. The company worked early on with shops like Strictly Performance, JPC Racing, Evolution Performance, and Murillo Motorsports to gain a foothold into that segment, and has had a stranglehold on that market ever since. As Brisk USA’s Martin Uhlir told us, the company is always looking for new applications to get involved with. During a conversation with Uhlir at the 2017 PRI show, we came to find out that Brisk USA has been involved with a number of nitrous oxide-using racers in the Xtreme Street, Ultra Street, and X275 ranks for a few years now, and some of them have done quite well using the Brisk USA surface discharge spark plug.

Noted engine builder Tony Bischoff of BES Racing Engines began using Brisk USA’s Silver series plugs in a number of his Engine Masters Challenge builds.

“They say it was the silver, but any time I put the plugs in an engine, it was worth 5-10 horsepower,” Bischoff told us.

“Iridium is a hard, dense, resistant metal, and that makes for a long lifespan in an OEM application,” Uhlir explained. It’s dense and hard properties offer a trade-off—you get a weaker spark, but you can make the electrode smaller so it requires less energy. That might be good for the daily driver, but in a high-performance application, less spark energy can be problematic.

Brisk USA’s surface discharge spark plug is not your typical spark plug design, but works extremely well in the most demanding applications. With no ground strap to burn off, the plugs are more durable and longer lasting.

Bischoff kept working with Brisk on a number of customer engines and his own builds, and this led him to the use of Brisk USA’s surface discharge spark plug. With this design, Bischoff has found a lot of success in nitrous applications in particular.

The surface discharge spark plug design was brought over from Brisk’s European division where it is employed in rally cars among other applications.

“With the surface discharge spark plug, there is no strap to burn off,” noted Uhlir. “Generally, this plug is used in the most demanding applications; it can even handle short-term detonation. The tip of spark plug is not shrouded by the strap, so the spark doesn’t have to fight to get to the strap, it just goes with the flow in the combustion chamber. They still have a silver surface, and can fire in 360-degree perimeter.”

Bischoff has found these attributes to be beneficial for big nitrous applications in vehicles ranging from Xtreme Street to Pro Mod.

“We run the surface discharge plugs on our Pro Mod and in most of my X275, Ultra Street, and Xtreme Street customer’s engines,” Bischoff told us. “On a nitrous engine, you have to pull the timing back so far because it burns fast. Most of the nitrous tuners read the heat in the ground strap, and that’s the hottest part of the chamber. It’s harder to read the surface discharge plugs because they don’t have the strap, but you can run more timing with them, and ultimately you will run faster with them. I have customers that don’t run them and they are changing the plugs every pass, and I have customers that run the surface plugs and change them once a season.”

Noted X275 racer Dean Marinis turns to Tony Bischoff at BES Racing Engines to make big nitrous power for his small-tire Mustang. Both he and Bischoff had high praise for the surface discharge spark plugs.

Brisk USA’s surface discharge plugs have been in the hands of engine builders and racers for a little over a year now, and as noted X275 racer and BES Racing Engines customer Dean Marinis told us, “They’re the best kept secret!”

Marinis has been using the surface discharge plugs for three years now, and with great success. His nitrous-oxide-assisted Mustang won at the Lights Out and No Mercy races in 2017, and he hopes to have more success in 2018.

“The ground strap in a regular plug turns into a glow plug and you can burn it. These surface gaps, if you know where you’re timing is, they’re a lot more forgiving. There’s a pretty big space from the electrode to the ground, there’s no misfires, no nothing, they’re badass.”

And Marinis backs up Bischoff’s claim regarding their longevity, too.

“I ran them last year at Lights Out, at an NHRA, at Cecil, during a Put up or Shut up TV show, and at the Yellow Bullet Nationals, “Marinis recalled. “Then at No Mercy, I decided I should look at them and changed them out. They looked fine, though, and I would have put them back in.”

Those are some big, successful names using “the best kept secret.” It might just not be a secret for long".

(article excerpt)

Race Pages Digital

03/June/2018

PHYSICS OF DIELECTRIC SURFACE FLASHOVER AT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURES

by JOHN KRILE, B.S.E.E.

A THESIS IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

"It is observed that in air the arc preferentially follows the surface, even when the surface path length is longer than the electrode"

Scaling of a fast spherical discharge

Authors

P. S. AntsiferovEmail author
L. A. Dorokhin

1.
2.

Plasma Dynamics

"The discharge cavity walls have a stabilizing effect on the plasma"

So here is my new invention based on the above, (and other), principles:

NGK BUE MKII (The kinked 90° Plasma)

In such unprecedented applications, usually, the good results may be affected by enthusiasm and happiness, so it is better to remain calm for the next day's real results.

04/June/2018

Spontaneous and forced Plasma

Unexpected.

It seems that the system withdraws a lot of current now and the problems are ante portas.

05/June/2018

Does it remind you something?

What Is an Ion?

An ion is simply an atom or molecule that is electrically charged. Ionization is the process of electrically charging an atom or molecule by adding or removing electrons. Ions can be positive (when they lose one or more electrons) or negative (when they gain one or more electrons). A gas is considered ionized when some or all the atoms or molecules contained in it are converted into ions. Plasma is an electrically neutral gas in which all positive and negative charges—from neutral atoms, negatively charged electrons, and positively charged ions—add up to zero. Plasma exists everywhere in nature; it is designated as the fourth state of matter (the others are solid, liquid, and gas). It has some of the properties of a gas but is affected by electric and magnetic fields and is a good conductor of electricity. Plasma is the building block for all types of electric propulsion, where electric and/or magnetic fields are used to push on the electrically charged ions and electrons to provide thrust. Examples of plasmas seen every day are lightning and fluorescent light bulbs.

MPD Operation

Image right: Overview of magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster operation. Credit: NASA

In its basic form, the MPD thruster has two metal electrodes: a central rod-shaped cathode, and a cylindrical anode that surrounds the cathode. Just as in an arc welder, a high-current electric arc is struck between the anode and cathode. As the cathode heats up, it emits electrons, which collide with and ionize a propellant gas to create plasma. A magnetic field is created by the electric current returning to the power supply through the cathode, just like the magnetic field that is created when electrical current travels through a wire. This self-induced magnetic field interacts with the electric current flowing from the anode to the cathode (through the plasma) to produce an electromagnetic (Lorentz) force that pushes the plasma out of the engine, creating thrust. An external magnet coil may also be used to provide additional magnetic fields to help stabilize and accelerate the plasma discharge.

link

06/June/2018

First results:

From

to

There is:

#1 a fuel consumption reduction of 2.8%.

#2 misfiring at high revs.

#3 low revs torque increase.

Since the gap for the modified spark plugs is extremely wide, (~3.3 mm vs 1.3 for the normal), seems that it's reserve voltage is not enough.

The question is if there is a solution in order to keep the 2.8% consumption reduction, having no misfires.

After various combinations, the adding of 12 MΩ resistance between the coil and the distributor gave a good result, since the consumption gain remains, (+0.1% ?), and, seems, that the misfiring at high revs is eliminated. But I cannot conclude, for the moment.

It is interesting, and needs further analysis, that the Plasma operation seems as having no or minuscule effect on the MK II spark plugs, at least at the low revs, where with the standard BUE's the tachometer is going up and down, (slightly), when it is on and off respectively.

Another interesting point is that the idling is a little bit higher, (~50-100 revs), and stabler with the MKII.

12/June/2018

Golden plated tungsten wire set as the grounding electrode, many times wrapped around the plug's body and stabilized with blue tack.

The high voltage prefers the surface discharging, (as it is well known), since, although the gap between the two electrodes is ~ 4.5 mm, and between the tungsten wire and the central electrode just ~ 3.2 mm, follows the longer, surface, distance.

The following video must be played with decreased rate to see the effect.

17/June/2018

I am leaning to connect in parallel the secondary of two ignition coils, because having a 4.5 mm gap, voltage deficiency is observed in high revolutions.

Their power supply will be independent, the one from the standard ignition and the second from the special module which gives the plasma.

Some tries give a perfect result, simultaneously in high and low revs, but somewhere, in some cases, there is a misfiring under heavy load, although the distributor cap has no signs of arcing. There must be an arcing, somewhere, though...

Two high voltage ignition coils and a plasma unit, feeding the spark plugs, seems as a promising solution. On the other hand, the plasma module gives some signs of overheating struggling to give high current for the plasma and for the second ignition coil.

19/June/2018

The misfiring problem solved by replacing the main high voltage cable, ignition coil to distributor, with a DIY color tv, solid core, copper, cable, (the same applied to connect my plasma with the spark plugs), with the lowest possible, suppressor, limit , for a BOSCH electronic ignition, of 2 kΩ.

So, some, underground, discussions about the superiority of the tv cable vs the various spark plugs cables, (not the carbons which are the worst), seems to be right.

01/July/2018

Excellent!

03/July/2018

An '80s solution for the high revs:

(Click on the image to enlarge).

For the moment, works perfectly.

Thats why?

06/July/2018

#1 A lot of answers about coils:

click!

#2

Tesla is smiling.

T.v. antenna unlike
any other https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y9M...ew?usp=sharing
floating valves not giving feedback https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ogq...ew?usp=sharing
to each other.

No missing signals
from the air
no blurred signals
on the air.

Tesla is smiling. (From there).

Bips and bums
and burning lights
smokes and thunders
and delights,

currents, voltages
through air,
sparks and arcs
but no despair.

Tesla is smiling. (From there).

Yesterday a burning light
flawlessly hovering at night
a message carrying to the site:

"Tesla is smiling" (From height).

The Syncro Heresy

07/July/2018

Some more data before some more conclusions(?):

The importance of the resistorless spark plugs.

With a resistor of 4960 Ω, 11.313 volts are lost vs ~~23.31~~, vs, in fact, nothing.

The above document explains the next image?

09/October/2018

Twin coils, (ala Jag, you know...).

The double, parallel, ignition coils, both BOSCH OEM, seems to work perfectly, for the moment at least.

You see, their total resistance is 0.45 Ω to 0.5 Ω, so they are at the lower limit of the triggering module.

The lucky thing is that I found one which met exactly the resistance of the already working coil, so, checked on

the bench, both together give a stronger spark.

29/Novmber/2018

Reset!

Everything starts again. Fortunatelly not from the 0 point. A lot of gains won from this adventure.

My goal now is how to use "The Kinked 90° Plasma Spark Plug", (syncrovention), with the minor possible modifications in order to be benefited for it's amazingly positive behavior.

The above spark plug is made by using these two D.I.Y., hightec, tools:

the cutting knife the guide

Thus:

1)The Plasma unit is disconnected at all. This disconection includes the tv high voltage cables, which, finally, seems that leak under the pressure of the huge gap size of 1.3mm horizontally and 4mm vertically, (=5.3 mm or 0.21'' !), which is present after the modification of the NGK BUE.

2)The timing is advanced to a point where the detonation is present, trying to overcome the fouling problem a so cold, (below 0), spark plug range poses, since the arc is jumping the gap easier at lower pressures.

3)The co pot, (co% adjustment), is set to 600 Ω, (vs 520 Ω up to now), in a try for a, leaner/spark plug tip, warmer, burning.

It seems that the major problem, for other sectors of the tecnology, which is called "The Surface Discharge", here becomes a major positive factor and can be used here giving, some never seen before, positive results, and all these without any modifications, but with adjustments only!

31/March/2019

The new phase begins by an unusual adjustment. The distributor cap/rotor gap is set to 5 m.m. instead the initial 1

m.m.:

The theory says that the two gaps in series can be adjusted in such a manner that the first can simulate the function

of a capacitor. In practice, the engine works and this seems, somehow, unbelievable to me.

11/May/2019

PHASE #3.

The new idea is to optimize the system before the plasma is installed again.

To sum up:

1)The plasma module is out.

2)The spark plugs are the surface discharge NGK BUE.

3)The gap into the distributor is set at 5 m.m., (instead 0.8-1 m.m.).

4)The two, factory, parallel, catalysts are out, since there were strange crushing marble noises.

5)The fuel is petrol 95° RON SHELL.

6)The timing is adjusted on the road, by trial and error method, as advanced as possible.

7)The copot is set at 600 Ωμ.

8)The crankcase breather connected as at normal operation.

Τhe car bought by me with ~250.000 km on clock.

The first M.O.T. about which I have emissions data is this:

Here there must be about 240.000 km on the clock.

The last M.O.T. emissions data, where all the above actions are active, is this, (298.582 km):

As we can see, ~60.000 km after, this unopened and never repaired g60 engine, without catlytic converters any more, reduces it's emissions as follows:

CO

idling: CO%: 0.43% > 0.01%

2500 rpm: CO%: 0.25% > 0

HC

idling: HC ppm: 79ppm > 17ppm (4.65 times less)

2500 rpm: HC ppm: 56ppm > 14ppm (4 times less)

There must be repeated measurements to verify the results, of course, but the car does not smell anything as it works, to an extend that the technician at the M.O.T. service, as he was going to put the sniffer at the exhaust, asked me if the engine is working or not!

You see, the operation became so smooth that, when there is environmental noise, it is difficult to hear the g60 idling.

13/May/2019

12:00

Today I am trying to find out if there is Ethanol into the petrol, from the beginning of the year and the percentage.

It seems that is a difficult task though.

Ethanol reduces some emissions, so this may be an explanation for the above results.

13:00

The following information is from the Coral, the dealer of the SHELL in Greece.

"In Greece we 'll not have ethanol into petrol, since there are production problems which have to do with the hydroscopic nature of the ethanol.

Instead, starting from the year 2019, we have ~ 1.1% bioethanol and 3.3% bioether, (ETBE)."

Can this be the reason for the minimization of the emissions in such a drastic manner? Is there another factor?

Exciting...

ETBE

Bioethanol

28/May/2019

My, DIY, mkII Improved Plasma Ignition ready to install.

The mkII Improved plasma is better since:

1)There are no bottle necks for the current and for the voltage. A path of 6 A is retained throughout.

2)It is thermal protection ready.

3)There are no high voltage leakages when widening the spark plug gaps. ("The Kinked 90° Plasma Spark Plug", ready).

4)The diodes channels are separated better and not physically stressed.

5)A stronger ignition coil, for the Plasma module, which happens to be the g60 ignition coil, is used.

Now out of the Plasma module for better cooling and flexibility.

Are you ready?

02/June/2019

Mixing the high with the low voltage.

Requirements:

1)No EMI/RFI radiation.

2)Good terminal contactivity.

3)Rigid construction.

4)Coupling the high to the low voltage.

Cabling: three from the many phases: The finished, the terminated, coupled high-low voltage, the non-terminated.

The coupling pin as can be seen from the inspection window.

04/June/2019

But...

The mkII improved plasma had no lack since the progress is rapid!

I introduce to you The mkIII Cordon Rouge, Double Plasma.

Yes, it is consisted by two plasma modules, 4 A current in total, 380V, (& 25.000V, 6A).

(The system may be updated up to 6 A triple plasma).

The surface discharge NGK spark plugs seems to be the perfect much to the mkIII Cordon Rouge Plasma.

Images and video asap.

05/June/2019

Double Plasma, mkIII, Cordon Rouge, (ice cream box, for very low NOX emissions).

06/June/2019

Just recognized that there is a patent about the plasma ignition for petrol internal combustion engines:

Plasma patent

A very interesting reading!

09/June/2019

4 ampere 380v pure current.

The 3 and the 4 channel diode banks cannot handle the huge 4(+) m.m. gap of my kinked 90° surface discharge spark plugs, since the voltage is raised above their limit, (although they are working well with the standard NGK 1.3 m.m. gap).

I am working to overcome the above problem, as well as, problems with the sync(h)ronization of the two plasma units, problems with EMI/RFI emissions, (since the tries to ground the cable shielding must not include the tv cables physical aluminum shield, the arc is so strong that is grounded through the shield!).

Extra shields, extra units, (6 amperes is possible with the existing setup), absolutely precise advance adjustment on the road, (by the insight and the ear), decisions about the correct height of the spark plug ignition height point, protection against overheating if the 555 transistors malfunction, protection against water, decisions, decisions, decisions...

The difference between the initial 2A current vs the 4A current of the new Double Plasma, mkIII, Cordon Rouge

module, is not theoretical, at all, it is very present and, hopefully, it will be seen in my next video.

13/June/2019

#1 In series, 105° C, ground thermal protection, for the power transistors 3055, is adopted.

The cutoffs are in touch with thermal paste and pressed against the, specially, chosen flat cup transistors.

#2 High quality oil is added between the transistors and their coolers.

#3 A 10A fuse and a VW, (soft start), relay are adopted to power the unit.

14/June/2019

Gaps in series.

Many hours and tries reveal: The Kinked 90° Arc Surface Discharge Spark Plug

does not work if the distributor has the standard gap to the rotor, (0.8-1 m.m. or even a little more):

Instead, it starts working with more than 3-4 m.m., and works perfectly with 9-10 m.m. gap!

The problem is that the current BOSCH distributor cap, does not allow a lot more, since the terminals are of the

floating type, but even other brand caps marginally can achieve an additional 0.3-0.4 m.m. gap, as we can see

here:

The voltage raises to a high of ~ 40.000 - 50.000 V having a drop in current, but now the current comes

from the Cordon Rouge Double Plasma MK III, if you know what I mean...

And this:

eliminates, literally, the wear of the terminals, when they are exposed to an ultra high voltage, where they never

intended to work.

Now the question is the RESULTS!

11 August 2019

Plasma ignition. The Syncro Heresy can ask you now: "I told you so. Didn't I?"

30 May 2021

06 October 2022

After a long time in the desert…

Double plasma ready!

* 2A or 4A, switchable.

* 2 separate thermal protection, one per plasma unit.

* 37 6A 1000V bulletproof diodes per cylinder. (Two way low voltage edition, 4 diode banks).

* Stranded, thick, 12 gauge, distributor to spark plugs and diode bank to spark plugs, zero resistance, copper, cabling. (No skin effect allowed).

* Spring forced terminals at both ends of the cable, spark plugs and distributor.

* Zero high voltage leakage, pvc, cable insulation.

* Semi-liquid cooled, (copper, high temperature grease), ozone ventilated, no wear, adjustable, copper, gap in series, distributor terminals.

* The Kinked surface discharge spark plugs, (syncrovention), or the Volcano surface discharge spark plugs, (the new kid on the block, still under development, syncrovention).

* Mr. Digifant, (ECU), no disturbance mode.

More asap…

08 October 2022

The new double plasma works perfectly, as never before.

High rpm, full throttle, or any other situation, which poses a high voltage stress to the system, is not a factor of malfunction.

The first gear behaves as “gelande” gear, almost.

The second gear allows a smooth, continuous, train like, acceleration from the starting point.

The surface discharge NGK are clean always, no fooling problem, under any circumstances, any more.

It seems that the next step, apart from the volcano spark plugs, will be a fuel restrictor, since, by theory, plasma allows to lean the fuel mixture. (Mr. unbeatable Digifant do you hear me?).

The new diodes are seamless, no high voltage leaking is detected between the 4 banks.

Of course there must be emissions, still! (Measurements wanted!).

(Yes. I know, I owe to you a video of the double plasma ark! Is coming shortly!).

* Please, be cautious! Heretic content!

16 October 2022

No comments!

18 October 2022

Yes,

this

seems to be a little bit better?

30 October 2022

#1 It turns out that the double plasma, (two unit construction), is not a viable solution.

There is an interference between them and the 555 chip stops working.

#2 It turns out that the good results may be achieved with the one unit by simply adding more capacitance to the power capacitor, (1 μF), paralleling one more, (or two, or three, or…).

#3 It turns out that with a capacitor of 100 μF ~1.5 cm, (0.6 inch), plasma is possible from the NGK 2322 surface discharge spark plug!

#4 It turns out that the, electronic, power supply of 12v is sensitive to these plasma pulses and is ready to be burnt.

#5 It turns out that I have to start, again, from the beginning!

Reading:

The surface discharge spark plugs ignition.

Tech Review: Brisk USA’s Surface Discharge Spark Plugs For Nitrous Applications

Scaling of a fast spherical discharge

What Is an Ion?

MPD Operation

Syncronization