Oil Insulation in Heavy-duty Ignition Coil
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.A New Runbaken Device, Named the Oilcoil, which Constitutes an Adaptation of a Principle Employed in Large Transformers FOR some years the gains in engine performance and petrol economy that can ensue from the use of widegap sparking plugs have been becoming more widely realized, The increased electrical pressure demanded has resulted in the development of highduty ignition equipment, and a recent addition to the range of proprietary components of this description is the Runbaken " Oilcoil."
As may be,deduced from the name, the salient feature of this device is that oil is used as an insulator. The special interest of this practice lies in the fact that it is a new application of a principle that is universally employed in industrial electricity generation—or rather distribution. Extremely high voltages are commonly used for the transmission of electricity, notably by the grid system, and this practice entails the, use of transformers which are oil insulated. Virtually, no other form of insulation would be practicable, for not only is transformer oil a first-class non-conductor but also it is fluid and_ can .circulate, thereby disposing of the heat which would otherwise reach an undesirable magnitude.
The oil-insulated ignition coil benefits in comparable manner. In the case of the " Oilcoil,:' made by Messrs. Runbaken Electrical Products, 71-73a, Oxford Road, Manchester, 1. the h.t. output is stepped up to 28,000-30,000 volts, compared with the • 15.00018.000 volts of an ordinary coil, and the consequence is a more intense -spark across a 0.04-in, sparking-plug gap instead of a 0-02-in, gap. '
Claimed to be practically indestructible, this Runbaken device is guaranteed for two years, is not harmed if the ignitioncircuit be accidentally left switched on, has a low current consumption and affordS good starting. The price of both the 6-volt and the 12-volt models is £2 14s.