Using Lasers instead of Spark plugs in Cars

We hear the prophecies about the internal combustion engine’s cessation of the use in increasing frequency. However, they are not are not much different in reliability from the prophecies about the imminent end of the world. 

When talking about the spark plugs, it is more probable, that they will soon disappear. It upsets a lot of people, as we're used to classic components of the cars, even in the innovative models. You are taking, for example, luxury car rentals baltimore, and you know what is under the hood of a rented car. Nevertheless, even in this area, scientists are not standing still and suggest replacing spark plugs with lasers.

Before you get acquainted with the innovation in this area, you should figure out what kinds of spark plugs are there.

Of the merits of this relic of the past, only the low price is worth attention. For all other parameters, they cannot be compared with the modern models in the workshop. When buying, find an opportunity to check such a plug when leaving the checkout, so as not to return in the hope of exchanging a defective part for a workable one.

The life of a standard spark plug is small. Its electrodes are made from an inexpensive, heat-resistant metal that is prone to erosion. However, with all their shortcomings, they can be quite reliable and will never let you down in their short life.

This is already a product of scientific and technological progress, in which two, three or four side electrodes are installed to form a spark. The idea is simple – in the process, the pins heat up, and the service life of the part is reduced. If there are several pins, the spark will break through where there is the least resistance. This can be strictly in turn as the electrode becomes dirty. As long as the plug works flawlessly, the order of the electrodes’ priority does not matter. Note that there will be only one spark, contrary to the opinion that several discharges are generated in such contacts at once.

Among the advantages, we note reliability, complete combustion of fuel, the ability to use a lean mixture, efficiency and minimum content of harmful emissions. The disadvantage is the high price. 

The thinner the electrodes, the more powerful the spark discharge on the spark plug is. Consequently, the power of the engine also increases. Nevertheless, here a problem arises because a thin electrode cannot withstand the impact of the enormous temperature that occurs during a powerful discharge for a long time. After the research, the designers have determined that platinum and iridium are the most resistant materials. The thickness of the central electrode made of iridium or platinum is about 0.5 millimeters, and a powerful spark can even tear off carbon deposits from the electrode.

A group of researchers from Romania and Japan proposed replacing the usual spark plug in an internal combustion engine with a laser. Scientists believe that it will be possible to ignite the fuel mixture in this way in the near future. The team has already developed the pilot systems. Test laser that can ignite a fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of a standard internal combustion engine cylinder was presented at a conference on lasers and electro-optical equipment in May. 

This system allows two or three laser beams to be focused on the engine cylinders at different depths. According to the BBC, the system involves the use of high-energy pulses in lasers. 

As with spark plugs, a lot of energy is required to ignite the fuel mixture. In the past, lasers that met these requirements were only used in research because they were large, inefficient, and unstable. They also could not be located outside the engine, as their powerful beams would destroy any fiber that carried ignition to the cylinders.

A miniature laser with the desired properties was obtained from a ceramic composite by sintering powders, as well as by combining materials of different properties, such as yttrium, aluminum, gallium composite, all of this was doped with neodymium with the addition of chromium. The laser has a diameter of only nine millimeters and a length of only eleven millimeters, which makes it easy to fit into the body of a conventional plug.

During tests, it turned out that one flash of a light beam is insufficient for normal ignition of the working fuel mixture. As a result, the scientists achieved a series of flashes of 800 picosecond pulses, and the frequency of their cutting is equal to 100 Hertz. It is simply impossible not to ignite the fuel with such a series of impulses. The flash of fuel in the combustion chamber occurs instantly. It was important to maintain sufficient laser power, but at the same time to maintain its miniature size, which would allow it to fit into the body, with the same dimensions as a traditional spark plug.

1. In contrast to crystalline lasers, ceramic lasers are stronger and better handle high temperatures. According to the researchers, replacing spark plugs with lasers increases the combustion efficiency of the fuel mixture. In addition, laser candles are less susceptible to damage than conventional ones.

2. In addition, this laser is very resistant to the harsh conditions in the cylinder head. Unlike traditional spark plugs, the new device ignites the working mixture in the engine cylinders with powerful light pulses, and the concentration of the light beam at the output is one hundred gigawatts of energy per square centimeter! 

3. Another advantage of a laser candle is the absence of electrodes, which greatly interfere with the normal propagation of the flame front in conventional spark plugs. Due to the absence of electrodes and the ability to focus the laser impulse in the center of the engine combustion chamber, it becomes possible to achieve complete combustion of the fuel, and, moreover, to deplete the fuel mixture. As a result, the concentration of harmful substances in the exhaust gases is greatly reduced, and the consumption of gasoline is noticeably reduced. In this case, the engine power does not decrease, but increases, because the fuel burns out more completely.

Hopefully, the ceramic laser candles will be mass-produced, and the calculations of economists on the costs of mass production please greatly- such plugs will not be expensive for the industrialists. This means that they will soon become inexpensive and available for the average driver. However, we don’t know exactly, what type of spark plugs will be the most popular in future, as ordinary spark plugs with a pair of electrodes are also being improved.

Lily Berns Member since September 16, 2020