Laser Ignition Report
Laser Ignition Report
Laser Ignition Report
INTRODUCTION
It is well know that short and intensive laser pulses are able to produce an optical
breakdown in air. Necessary intensities are in the range between 1010- 1011W/cm 2. At
such intensities, gas molecules are dissociated and ionized within the vicinity of the focal
spot of a laser beam and a hot plasma is generated. This plasma is heated by the incoming
laser beam and a strong shock wave occurs. The expanding hot plasma can be used for
the ignition of fuel-gas mixtures.
CHAPTER 2
Based on the method by which spark is created and distributed, ignition systems are
classified as:
1. Mechanical ignition System
2. Electronic ignition system
3. Distributor less ignition system
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CHAPTER 3
LASER
Fig. 3.2 The flash tube fires and injects light into the ruby rod. The light excites atoms
in the ruby.
Fig. 3.4 Photons run in a directional ruby axis, so they bounce back and forth off the
mirrors. As they pass through the crystal, they stimulate emission in other atoms.
Fig. 3.5 Monochromatic, single phase columnated light leaves the ruby through the half
silvered mirror laser light.
Wavelength (nm)
193
248
308
Nitrogen (UV)
337
Argon (blue)
488
Argon (green)
514
543
633
570-650
694
Nd:Yag (NIR)
1064
10600
GAS LASERS
The Helium-neon laser (HeNe) emits 543 nm and 633 nm and is very common in
education because of its low cost. Carbon dioxide lasers emit up to 100 kW at 9.6 m and
10.6 m, and are used in industry for cutting and welding. Argon-Ion lasers emit 458 nm,
488 nm or 514.5 nm. Carbon monoxide lasers must be cooled but can produce up to 500
kW. The Transverse Electrical discharge in gas at Atmospheric pressure (TEA) laser is an
inexpensive gas laser producing UV Light at 337.1 nm.
Metal ion lasers are gas lasers that generate deep ultraviolet wavelengths. HeliumSilver (HeAg) 224 nm and Neon-Copper (NeCu) 248 nm are two examples. These lasers
have particularly narrow oscillation line widths of less than 3 GHz (0.5 picometers)
making them candidates for use in fluorescence suppressed Raman spectroscopy.
3.3.2
CHEMICAL LASERS
Chemical lasers are powered by a chemical reaction, and can achieve high powers
in continuous operation. For example, in the Hydrogen fluoride laser (2700-2900 nm) and
the Deuterium fluoride laser (3800 nm) the reaction is the combination of hydrogen or
deuterium gas with combustion products of ethylene in nitrogen trifluoride.
3.3.3
EXCIMER LASERS
SOLID-STATE LASERS
Solid state laser materials are commonly made by doping a crystalline solid host
with ions that provide the required energy states. For example, the first working laser was
made from ruby, or chromium-doped sapphire. Another common type is made from
Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG), known as Nd:YAG. Nd:YAG lasers
can produce high powers in the infrared spectrum at 1064 nm. They are used for cutting,
welding and marking of metals and other materials, and also in spectroscopy and for
pumping dye lasers. Nd:YAG lasers are also commonly doubled their frequency to
produce 532 nm when a visible (green) coherent source is required.
Ytterbium, holmium, thulium and erbium are other common dopants in solid state
lasers. Ytterbium is used in crystals such as Yb:YAG, Yb:KGW, Yb:KYW, Yb:SYS,
Yb:BOYS, Yb:CaF2, typically operating around 1020-1050 nm. They are potentially very
efficient and high powered due to a small quantum defect. Extremely high powers in
ultrashort pulses can be achieved with Yb:YAG. Holmium-doped YAG crystals emit at
2097 nm and form an efficient laser operating at infrared wavelengths strongly absorbed
by water-bearing tissues. The Ho-YAG is usually operated in a pulsed mode, and passed
through optical fiber surgical devices to resurface joints, remove rot from teeth, vaporize
cancers, and pulverize kidney and gall stones. Titanium-doped sapphire (Ti:sapphire)
produces a highly tunable infrared laser, used for spectroscopy.
Solid state lasers also include glass or optical fiber hosted lasers, for example,
with erbium or ytterbium ions as the active species. These allow extremely long gain
regions, and can support very high output powers because the fiber's high surface area to
volume ratio allows efficient cooling and its wave guiding properties reduce thermal
distortion of the beam.
3.3.5
SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS
Laser diodes produce wavelengths from 405 nm to 1550 nm. Low power laser diodes are
used in laser pointers, laser printers, and CD/DVD players. More powerful laser diodes
are frequently used to optically pump other lasers with high efficiency. The highest power
industrial laser diodes, with power up to 10 kW, are used in industry for cutting and
welding. External-cavity semiconductor lasers have a semiconductor active medium in a
larger cavity. These devices can generate high power outputs with good beam quality,
wavelength-tuneable narrow-line width radiation, or ultra-short laser pulses.
Vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are semiconductor lasers whose
emission direction is perpendicular to the surface of the wafer. VCSEL devices typically
have a more circular output beam than conventional laser diodes, and potentially could be
much cheaper to manufacture. As of 2005, only 850 nm VCSELs are widely available,
with 1300 nm VCSELs beginning to be commercialized, and 1550 nm devices an area of
research. VECSELs are external-cavity VCSELs. Quantum cascade lasers are
DYE LASERS
Dye lasers use an organic dye as the gain medium. The wide gain spectrum of
available dyes allows these lasers to be highly tunable, or to produce very short-duration
pulses (on the order of a few femtoseconds).
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CHAPTER 4
The use of laser ignition to improve gas engine performance was initially
demonstrated by J. D. Dale in 1978. However, with very few exceptions, work in this area
has for the last 20 years been limited to laboratory experimentation employing large,
expensive and relatively complicated lasers and laser beam delivery systems. More
recently, researchers at GE-Jenbacher, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toyota, National
Energy Technology Lab and Argonne National Lab have obtained and/or built smaller
high peak power laser spark plugs.
Unlike many earlier laboratory laser systems, these smaller lasers are now
mounted directly onto the engine cylinder head so as to fire the laser beam directly into
the chamber. This arrangement allows the laser to become a direct replacement for the
traditional high voltage electrical spark-gap plug. Further reductions in laser size, price
and complexity will help the laser spark plug become a commercial reality and a viable
competitor to the traditional high voltage spark-gap plug.
4.1 INTRODUCTION
The process begins with multi-photon ionization of few gas molecules which
releases electrons that readily absorb more photons via the inverse bremsstrahlung
process to increase their kinetic energy. Electrons liberated by this means collide with
other molecules and ionize them, leading to an electron avalanche, and breakdown of the
gas. Multi photon absorption processes are usually essential for the initial stage of
breakdown because the available photon energy at visible and near IR wavelengths is
much smaller than the ionization energy. For very short pulse duration (few picoseconds)
the multiphoton processes alone must provide breakdown, since there is insufficient time
for electron-molecule collision to occur. Thus this avalanche of electrons and resultant
ions collide with each other producing immense heat hence creating plasma which is
sufficiently strong to ignite the fuel. The wavelength of laser depend upon the absorption
properties of the laser and the minimum energy required depends upon the number of
photons required for producing the electron avalanche.
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4.2 WORKING
The laser beam is passed through a convex lens, this convex lens diverge the beam
and make it immensely strong and sufficient enough to start combustion at that point.
Hence the fuel is ignited, at the focal point, with the mechanism shown above. The focal
point is adjusted where the ignition is required to have.
Focused laser
Convex lens
Plasma I>Ithreshold
Laser beam
E>Eignition
Mixture burning
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4.3.1
POWER SOURCE
The average power requirements for a laser spark plug are relatively modest. A
four stroke engine operating at maximum of 1200 rpm requires an ignition spark 10 times
per second or 10Hz (1200rpm/2x60). For example 1-Joule/pulse electrical diode pumping
levels we are readily able to generate high millijoule levels of Q-switched energy. This
provides us with an average power requirement for the laser spark plug of say
approximately 1-Joule times 10Hz equal to approximately 10 Watts.
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4.3.2
Nd:YAG LASER
It is the most suitable laser beam generating unit in laser ignition system. Nd:YAG
window is required to optically couple the laser beam. The window must:
4.3.4
4.3.5
FOCUSING UNIT
A set of optical lenses are used to focus the laser beam into the combustion
chamber. The focal length of the lenses can be varied according to where ignition is
required. The lenses used may be either combined or separated.
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15
16
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CHAPTER 5
by,
Institute
for
Internal
Combustion
Engines
and
Automotive
Engineering, Vienna
5.1. INTRODUCTION
As a feasibility test, an excimer laser has been used for ignition of inflammable
gases inside a combustion bomb. The laser used for the first experiments was a Lambda
Physik LPX205, equipped with an unstable resonator system and operated with KrF,
delivering pulses with a wavelength of 248 nm and a duration of approximately 34 ns
with maximum pulse energy of 400 mJ.10 The combustion chamber has had a diameter of
65 mm and a height of 86mm, with a resulting volume of 290cm3 and was made of steel.
The laser beam was guided into the chamber through a window. Pressure sensors, filling
and exhaust lines were also connected to the combustion chamber. The laser beam was
focused into the chamber by means of a lens with a focal length of 50 mm. Variations of
pulse energies as well as gas mixtures have been performed to judge the feasibility of the
process. Results indicate that ignition-delay times are smaller and pressure gradients are
much steeper compared to conventional spark plug ignition.
5.2. ENGINE EXPERIMENTS
Since the first feasibility experiments could be concluded successfully, an engine was
modified for laser ignition. The engine has been modified by a replacement of the
conventional spark plug by a window installed into a cylindrical mount. The position of
the focusing lens inside the mount can be changed to allow variations of the location of
the initial optical breakdown. First experiment with laser ignition of the engine have been
performed with an excimer laser, later a q-switched Nd:YAG has been used, see table 5.1.
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19
The replacement of the excimer laser was mainly caused by the fact that especially at
very low pulse energies the excimer laser shows strong energy fluctuations. Pressure
within the combustion chamber has been recorded as well as fuel consumption and
exhaust gases. The laser was triggered at well defined positions of the crankshaft, just as
with conventional ignition systems. Pulse energies, ignition location and fuel/air ratios
have been varied during the experiments. The engine has been operated at each setting for
several hours, repeatedly. All laser ignition experiments have been accompanied by
conventional spark plug ignition as reference measurements.
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Table 5.1 Technical data of the research engine and the Nd:YAG laser used for the
experiments.
Research engine
Q-switched Nd:YAG
No. of cylinders
Pump source
Flash lamp
No. of valves
Wavelength
1064 or 532 nm
Injector
Multi-hole
160 mJ
Stroke
85 mm
Pulse duration
6 ns
Bore
88 mm
Power consumption
1 kW
Displacement vol.
517 cm 3
Beam diameter
6 mm
Compression ratio
11.6
Type
Quantel Brilliant
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110
100
(Percent)
90
80
Another important question with a laser ignition system is its reliability. It is clear
that the operation of an engine causes very strong pollution within the combustion
chamber. Deposits caused by the combustion process can contaminate the beam entrance
window and the laser ignition system will probably fail. To quantify the influence of
deposits on the laser ignition system, the engine has been operated with a spark plug at
different load points for more than 20 hours with an installed beam entrance window. As
can be seen in fig., the window was soiled with a dark layer of combustion deposits.
Afterwards, a cold start of the engine was simulated. Already the first laser pulse ignited
the fuel/air mixture. Following laser pulses ignited the engine without misfiring, too.
After 100 cycles the engine was stopped and the window was disassembled. As can be
seen from fig, all deposits have been removed by the laser beam. Additional experiments
showed that for smooth operation of the engine the minimum pulse energy of the laser is
determined by the necessary intensity for cleaning of the beam entrance window.
Estimated minimum pulse energies are too low since such self-cleaning mechanisms
are not taken into account. Engine operation without misfiring was always possible above
a certain threshold intensity at the beam entrance window. For safe operation of an engine
even at cold start conditions an increased pulse energy of the first few laser pulses would
be beneficial for cleaning of the beam entrance window.
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5.3.1
RESPECT TO RELIABILITY
From the graph of ignition pressure vs. air-fuel ratio it can be seen that 100%
reliability can be achieved in laser ignition at a higher air-fuel ratio of 2.05, than in spark
ignition. Hence leaner mixture can be used in laser ignition system to achieve 100%
reliability.
For 100% ignition reliability at 30 bar
A/Frel = 2.05 (laser ignition)
A/Frel = 1.74 (spark ignition)
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5.3.2
METHODS
The graph below shows NOx emission levels in different ignition systems. It can
be seen that NOx emissions are considerably lesser in case of laser ignition system. This
is due to the fact that lean air-fuel mixtures can be burnt easily in laser ignition systems,
leading to lower combustion chamber temperatures and hence lower NOx emissions.
NOX in [mg/Nm]
350
330
300
250
240
200
150
250
100
190
50
70
Direct
Pre chamber
Spark ignition
Direct
Laser ignition
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Pre chamber
CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
The applicability of a laser-induced ignition system on direct injected gasoline engine has
been proven. Main advantages are the almost free choice of the ignition location within
the combustion chamber, even inside the fuel spray. Significant reductions in fuel
consumption as well as reductions of exhaust gases show the potential of the laser
ignition process.
electrical
spark plug ignition system and it is nowhere near ready for deployment. But potential
advantages will surely bring it in to market for many practical applications.
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REFERENCES
1. Laser Ignition in Internal Combustion Engines, Pankaj Hatwar, Durgesh Verma;
International Journal of Modern Engineering Research (IJMER),Vol.2, Issue.2, Mar-Apr
2012 pp-341-345.
2. "Laser Plasma-Initiated Ignition of Engines", J. Tauer1, H. Kofler, K. Iskra, G.
Tartar And E. Wintner; 3rd International Conference on the Frontiers of Plasma Physics
and Technology
3. "Laser Ignition - a New Concept to Use and Increase the Potentials of Gas
Engines", Dr. Gnther Herdin, DI Johann Klausner, Prof. Ernst Wintner; ASME Internal
Combustion Engine Division 2005 Fall Technical Conference, Ottawa, Canada.
4. http://www.iitk.ac.in/erl/laserignition.html
5. http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20080264371
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignition_system
7. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/ignition-system4.html
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