Laser Igniter To Replace The Good Old Spark Plug
For the past two centuries, spark plugs have served the purpose of providing the all important spark for setting the fuel-air mixture of the internal combustion engine on fire. But like all good things, its stay is set to come to an end in a few years. You must be wondering what will be a good substitute for this simple yet effective device. Well, the answer to this query is a laser igniter. Yes, carmakers are just a few blocks away from reaching the goal of replacing this traditional technology with brand new laser beams. The advantage of the change lies in the fact that it will facilitate in building cheaper, greener and efficient vehicles.
#-Link-Snipped-#The laser igniter is all set to revolutionize the internal combustion engines. Until now, the laser devices that produced laser beams strong enough to ignite the compressed air and gasoline mixture were so large in size that they could not be possibly be fitted beneath the car’s bonnet. Smaller devices proved to be less reliable. However, all this is going to change at this year’s CLEO: 2011 (Conference on Lasers and Electro Optics). Scientists from Japan are going to unveil and explain the first of its kind multibeam laser system that can be easily accommodated in an engine’s cylinder cap. CLEO: 2011 will be held in Baltimore from 1st to 6th May.
There is a general perception among most of us that laser gadgets and systems are very costly due to their sophisticated circuit plus highly directional and powerful light beams. But contradictory to this belief, this new laser system comes pretty cheap because it is made from low cost ceramics. Takunori Taira, who is one of the presentation’s authors, thinks that the conventional spark plugs restricted the fuel efficiency. He is of the view that these spark plugs also cause excessive emission of Nitrogen oxides (NOx) which are the major constituents of smog.
The spark plug uses a high voltage, short duration electric arc which creates a spark between the electrodes and this spark then sets the air-fuel mixture on fire. The resultant mild explosion forces the piston in a downward motion inside the cylinder to produce the power for moving the car. Now, the efficiency improves if the spark plug burns leaner fuel i.e. more air and less gasoline. But for doing so, a high voltage spark is required which erodes the electrodes and reduces the life of the spark plug. Laser beams use high powered optical beams for igniting the leaner fuel mixture and do not have any electrodes. So there is no question of destruction of electrodes. Hence, laser igniter can easily improve the fuel efficiency of automobile engines. Also, lean fuels emit lesser amount of NOx.
Another reason for the inefficiency of spark plug is that they are located at the top of the cylinder so the spark ignites the fuel near it but gets quenched as it expands and reaches the colder surfaces. On the contrary, the laser beams can be focused centrally and can ignite fuel more efficiently without getting suppressed or smothered. As a result, the flame expands more symmetrically and faster. The lasers also deliver their energy in a few nanoseconds, as compared to the milliseconds taken by the spark plug. The fast combustion leads to enhanced fuel economy.
The only big problem with the laser igniter systems was their huge size. But Taira and his team of researchers at the National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Japan have overcome this hurdle by designing composite lasers using ceramic powder. They heat the powder till it melts and forms transparent optical solids. Then, these are tuned by embedding metal particles in them. The ceramic solids are more durable, strong, and easily tunable than the traditional crystals. Also, they can dissipate power in a better way because of their good thermal conductivity.
The researchers generate the laser beams using two segments of yttrium-aluminum-gallium (YAG) doped with neodymium and chromium respectively. The two pieces are joined to form a tiny laser system which is only 9 millimeters in diameter and 11 millimeters long (a bit less than half an inch).
The laser-ignition system sounds very interesting and highly functional but has not been installed into actual automobiles made in a factory. The R&D team is, however, working with a well known spark-plug firm and with DENSO Corporation, a member of reputed automakers Toyota Group.
Image credit: National Energy Technology Laboratory
#-Link-Snipped-#The laser igniter is all set to revolutionize the internal combustion engines. Until now, the laser devices that produced laser beams strong enough to ignite the compressed air and gasoline mixture were so large in size that they could not be possibly be fitted beneath the car’s bonnet. Smaller devices proved to be less reliable. However, all this is going to change at this year’s CLEO: 2011 (Conference on Lasers and Electro Optics). Scientists from Japan are going to unveil and explain the first of its kind multibeam laser system that can be easily accommodated in an engine’s cylinder cap. CLEO: 2011 will be held in Baltimore from 1st to 6th May.
There is a general perception among most of us that laser gadgets and systems are very costly due to their sophisticated circuit plus highly directional and powerful light beams. But contradictory to this belief, this new laser system comes pretty cheap because it is made from low cost ceramics. Takunori Taira, who is one of the presentation’s authors, thinks that the conventional spark plugs restricted the fuel efficiency. He is of the view that these spark plugs also cause excessive emission of Nitrogen oxides (NOx) which are the major constituents of smog.
The spark plug uses a high voltage, short duration electric arc which creates a spark between the electrodes and this spark then sets the air-fuel mixture on fire. The resultant mild explosion forces the piston in a downward motion inside the cylinder to produce the power for moving the car. Now, the efficiency improves if the spark plug burns leaner fuel i.e. more air and less gasoline. But for doing so, a high voltage spark is required which erodes the electrodes and reduces the life of the spark plug. Laser beams use high powered optical beams for igniting the leaner fuel mixture and do not have any electrodes. So there is no question of destruction of electrodes. Hence, laser igniter can easily improve the fuel efficiency of automobile engines. Also, lean fuels emit lesser amount of NOx.
Another reason for the inefficiency of spark plug is that they are located at the top of the cylinder so the spark ignites the fuel near it but gets quenched as it expands and reaches the colder surfaces. On the contrary, the laser beams can be focused centrally and can ignite fuel more efficiently without getting suppressed or smothered. As a result, the flame expands more symmetrically and faster. The lasers also deliver their energy in a few nanoseconds, as compared to the milliseconds taken by the spark plug. The fast combustion leads to enhanced fuel economy.
The only big problem with the laser igniter systems was their huge size. But Taira and his team of researchers at the National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Japan have overcome this hurdle by designing composite lasers using ceramic powder. They heat the powder till it melts and forms transparent optical solids. Then, these are tuned by embedding metal particles in them. The ceramic solids are more durable, strong, and easily tunable than the traditional crystals. Also, they can dissipate power in a better way because of their good thermal conductivity.
The researchers generate the laser beams using two segments of yttrium-aluminum-gallium (YAG) doped with neodymium and chromium respectively. The two pieces are joined to form a tiny laser system which is only 9 millimeters in diameter and 11 millimeters long (a bit less than half an inch).
The laser-ignition system sounds very interesting and highly functional but has not been installed into actual automobiles made in a factory. The R&D team is, however, working with a well known spark-plug firm and with DENSO Corporation, a member of reputed automakers Toyota Group.
Image credit: National Energy Technology Laboratory
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