Plasmatronics LLC

A: Plasma is sometimes called the fourth state of matter, beyond solid, liquid and gas. The Encyclopedia Britannica defines plasma as “an electrically conducting medium in which there are roughly equal numbers of positively charged and negatively charged particles, produced when the atoms in a gas become ionized… Plasma is unique in the way it interacts with itself, with electric and magnetic fields, and with its environment.”

In more simple terms, you’re probably more familiar with plasma than you realize. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, it is estimated that more than 99% of the matter in the universe exists in a plasma state. We’re surrounded by plasma. In addition, it’s in neon signs and fluorescent lighting fixtures we see and use every day.

We’ll talk about why plasma’s unique characteristics allow us to maximize engine performance while improving fuel economy and reducing emissions in a minute. Before that, there’s more cool stuff to know about how plasma is created and what it can do.

High school science classes cover the basics of molecular structure…here’s a refresher on some interesting tidbits. At the center of a molecule is a little bundle of protons (positive charge) and neutrons (no electrical charge) called a nucleus. The nucleus is positively charged. In a stable molecule, the number of electrons (negative charge) orbiting the nucleus is the same as the number of protons in the nucleus, electrically stabilizing the molecule in a balanced, neutral state.

Here’s the Encyclopedia Britannica again: “Ionization is the process by which electrically neutral molecules are converted to electrically charged molecules (ions) by the removal or addition of negatively charged electrons.” Plasma consists of a special kind of ionized molecules. Using a proprietary process involving extremely short-duration, high Voltage power, the Plasma Drive Ignition upsets the normal stability of each fuel-air molecule by stripping off one electron, making them “hungry” to restore their stability.

We think of it as motivating the fuel-air molecules in your engine to GET A JOB seeking combustion. The fuel-air mixture is “motivated” because of this electrical imbalance we’ve created to cause them to seek replacement electrons conveniently provided in the spark plug discharge.

Q: What benefits can consumers expect from using your Plasma Drive Ignition ™ (“PDI”) system?

A: We’ve powerfully exploited simple principles of plasma science to improve the combustion process in engines. We’ve made the fuel/air molecules in the combustion chamber “hungry” for electrons and then provided an electron source from the spark plug discharge. This means we’ve made the fuel/air mixture deliberately seek combustion like moths seek flame.

Because the PDI creates sure, deliberate combustion, consumers benefit from using nearly all of the fuel they buy without waste. So they get significantly better fuel economy, better performance (increased horsepower and torque), and there is a significant reduction in emissions due to the efficient combustion of the fuel-air mixture.

Q: What is so different about the PDI, compared to conventional spark ignition systems?

A: What Plasmatronics has done is to change an old-fashioned, random process into a new way of ensuring that fuel-air molecules and the fire that ignites them actively seek each other to convert nearly all of the fuel you buy into forward motion. Our PDI uses finely tuned electrical waveforms and specialized structuring of magnetic fields to create a plasma state in the combustion chamber, and then exploits the plasma state fuel/air molecules’ “hunger” to attract the fuel to the flame, which will convert it to power.

Conventional spark ignition is, by its basic design, inherently inefficient at powerfully igniting all of the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber. This is important because the potent initiation of the combustion chain reaction, called “flame front propagation”, determines the efficiency of the results achieved.

To visualize a flame front, imagine you’ve set a sheet of paper on fire by holding a flame to one corner. The clearly visible line advancing across the sheet of paper as the fire consumes it would be analogous to the flame front moving through the fuel-air mixture in your combustion chamber.

In conventional ignition designs, most of the potentially available fuel-air molecules are never employed in starting the flame front because only the molecules that happen to be between the spark plug electrodes at that moment are ignited. Once the flame front chain reaction has started, at best, adding more sparks is an inadequate scavenging attempt without significant effect on the quality of the combustion. We operate on the principle that it is better to do the job right from the start.

There are two ignition technologies that have been selling for years that try to improve on the random ignition of fuel-air molecules that happen to pass between the spark plug electrodes: multiple spark discharge ignition and long-duration spark ignition. Trouble is, once the flame-front of ignition has started, you’re just throwing matches at an already lit fire. This makes for exciting ad copy and marketing materials, but it doesn’t actually produce much benefit compared to our documented results.

No ignition system can guarantee complete conversion of all fuel (chemical energy) into power and motion (kinetic energy), but we’ve gotten closer than any technology to date.

A: No. While we use very high Voltage power to create the plasma field, it is used with carefully regulated precision for only a few nanoseconds – a small fraction of the time used in conventional ignition. Think of passing your hand quickly through a candle flame: you will not be burned if exposure is very brief and controlled. Our efficiency is achieved via elegantly designed electrical waveforms and precision-controlled interaction of magnetic fields – not brute force of super-heating the spark for extended durations.

CARB has determined that our products are considered "replacement parts", therefore do not need an executive order exempting them from regulation. To view the letter from CARB covering this, click this link: CARB Letter

An added benefit resulting from our PDI’s precision design is its electrically “clean” waveform profile, which means that there is no unintended electrical “noise” or “static” generated by the system which could interfere with your car’s stereo reception or on-board computer components that control the engine’s performance. For you car nuts out there, this means you can use unshielded, beefy, pure copper-core wire sets with no resistors without worrying about check engine lights, tachometer interference, radio noise, etc.

While we do offer many specialized applications for race teams, industrial customers, top-flight scientific, military and university labs, our products are California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) certified for street-legal use because they do not change the engine’s timing, and they do improve its emissions profile and fuel economy. Consumers receive a certificate informing them of our product’s conformance to CARB standards (the most stringent in the world) and its compliance with their warranty. Once CARB certification is granted, you cannot be denied warranty support due to installing a Plasma Drive Ignition system on your engine.

A: Actually, many researchers have been working on plasma ignition. The technology has been pioneered and proven by many of the world’s leading government and academic laboratories for several years - for example University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Princeton University, US Department of Energy, US Navy and the US Air Force. Plasmatronics has collaborated on scientific research with some of these labs, which has given us a leg up on commercial applications for the pure science.

This research has produced a great body of scientific proof of the effectiveness of plasma ignition. But since these labs are concerned with pure science, they have not focused on making the technology small enough and cost-effective enough for commercialization. Plasmatronics, LLC has made this valuable research accessible by commercializing practical, cost-effective products that satisfy the demand for improved fuel economy, increased HP and torque AND drastically reduced emissions of harmful pollutants.

Q: How did you develop commercial plasma ignition systems when no one else has?

A: Our plasma technology evolved from high Voltage pulsed laser power supplies that we made for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (“LLNL”). Our power supplies have the unique ability to precisely control the application of high Voltage energy to synchronize certain chemical and physical reactions.

A scientist working at the US Navy Surface Weapons Center heard about our work with LLNL and asked us to develop a device similar to the laser power supply because the Navy needed to create a plasma field for a research project it was conducting. While creating a plasma field is easy enough, the challenge put before us was to make a very controllable plasma field in an application where the timing of the creation of the plasma is critical. We already had the ability to precisely control a high Voltage output, but had to develop the ability to create a plasma field using high Voltage energy. It took many months of experimentation for us to create a device for the Navy’s use that we called the Plasma Drive. The Navy project was a success, and we had a wonderful product to continue refining for other applications.

We continued development of the Plasma Drive device with the goal of creating an engine ignition system that would use plasma as the means to ignite fuel in the combustion chamber. After several modifications, we created the Plasma Drive Ignition.

Q: I’ve seen engine products for sale that use the word “plasma” in their names – so why do you say you offer the only plasma ignition products available in the market today?

A: Some people, whether honestly confused, or deliberately creating confusion for marketing purposes, muddy the water about ionization and the creation of true plasma. It’s like the statement, “A Corvette is an automobile, but not all automobiles are Corvettes.” Similarly, all plasmas are ionized, but not all ionized gasses are plasmas. Most ignition technologies ionize the fuel-air mixture, but they do not create plasma in the combustion chamber. However, plasma is created via ionization of a specific type. Recall, … Plasma is unique in the way it interacts with itself, with electric and magnetic fields, and with its environment. The difference in resulting performance and benefits are very significant.

The word “plasma” cannot be trademarked, so it’s important that consumers understand exactly what they’re buying. Our approach is that once consumers and manufacturers really understand what plasma is and why its genuine use in the products they buy makes a significant difference to them in terms of increased horsepower and torque, increased fuel economy and reduced emissions without sacrificing one benefit for the others, the more likely they are to understand why it makes good sense to choose our technology.

A: Auto manufacturers have the same concerns as any business does. They want to reduce their costs, increase their profit margins and sales, maintain their collaborative relationships with related industry groups, and meet or exceed emissions standards – and do all of this without significant retooling costs on their production lines. Plasmatronics’ Plasma Drive Ignition system effectively addresses these needs.

In addition, we believe, and intend to submit our test results for evaluation to the EPA and CARB, that using our PDI systems, pollution is so dramatically reduced that catalytic converters can be eliminated from the exhaust system. This translates to decreased manufacturing costs, elimination of the backpressure clogged catalytic converters can exert to diminish vehicle performance, and elimination of the problem of disposing of highly toxic, clogged catalytic converters. Vehicles with factory-installed PDI systems may be eligible for tax credits based on fuel economy gains as well.

While it is important to research alternatives to fossil-fueled internal combustion engines (a very promising area Plasmatronics is making steady progress on due to our ability to powerfully ignite alternative fuels), there are millions of gasoline and diesel powered internal-combustion engines in use now, and planned for production. These vehicles represent a significant market with a pressing need to benefit from cost-effective technology to improve their fuel economy and emissions profiles, while increasing consumer satisfaction.

Whether OEM or aftermarket, these vehicles can be easily and economically converted to our clean technology to contribute to achieving environmental regulatory goals without sacrificing profit or consumer satisfaction.

Frequently Asked Questions