Q&A · 53:54-54:51

Turbine ignition and spark plugs aboard warships

Starting a turbine, igniting each engine cycle and operating auxiliary equipment involve different ignition arrangements.

Question

Do turbines and other warship equipment have spark plugs?

Short answer

Turbines need a starting ignition arrangement, and auxiliary generators or pumps can use spark plugs; that differs from spark ignition on every cycle of the main engine.

Notes

A turbine can use an ignition device to start combustion. That starting function differs from a spark plug firing during each combustion cycle. Auxiliary equipment aboard a warship, including portable emergency generators and pumps, can also use spark plugs. The earlier remark about their absence concerned main machinery. Distinguishing propulsion from auxiliary equipment resolves the apparent disagreement about whether a warship can carry spark plugs.