Laser ignition in internal-combustion engines: Sparkless initiation

Laser ignition has been implemented in a single-cylinder internal combustion engine fueled by gasoline. Indicator diagrams (cylinder pressure versus crank angle) were obtained for laser ignition with nano- and microsecond pulses of an Nd:YAG laser. The maximum power of microsecond pulses was below critical for spark initiation, while the radiation wavelength was outside the spectral range of optical absorption by hydrocarbon fuels. Apparently, the ignition starts due to radiation absorption by the oil residues or carbon deposit in the combustion chamber, so that the ability of engine to operate is retained. This initiation of spark-free ignition shows the possibility of using compact semiconductor quantum-cascade lasers operating at wavelengths of about 3.4 mu m (for which the optical absorption by fuel mixtures is high) in ignition systems of internal combustion engines.