Abstract: A partitioned exciter system for use with an igniter in an aircraft engine. The exciter has low-energy charging circuit and a high-energy discharge circuit that are remotely located from each other and that are connected by a low-energy coaxial cable. The charging circuit can be located within the aircraft fuselage and the discharge circuit mounted at the engine. The discharge circuit contains passive components that do not need special environmental protection, and the remotely located charging circuit can utilize existing electrical circuitry protection measures already in place in the fuselage to protect against lightning and other potentially-damaging environmental factors. Also disclosed is a housing arrangement for the discharge circuit that allows it to be directly attached to the igniter.

Abstract: An exciter circuit for a gas turbine engine ignition system. A high voltage supply continuously charges a storage capacitor. A plurality of silicon controlled rectifiers (SCRs) are connected in series between the storage capacitor and a high voltage conditioning circuit. A multi-section protective network is connected in parallel with the series connected SCRs. Individual network sections are connected across separate ones of the SCRs. The SCRs are normally non-conducting and are periodically triggered to discharge the storage capacitor into the conditioning circuit. An igniter plug is connected to the output of the conditioning circuit. The protective network divides the voltage of the storage capacitor equally across the SCRs when the latter are non-conductive thereby reducing the voltage stress to which each of the SCRs is subjected.