"For more than 150 years, spark plugs have powered internal combustion engines. Automakers are now getting close to being able to replace this long-standing technology with laser igniters, which should enable cleaner, more efficient, and more economical vehicles. Price and size have been issues holding up such an advance, but a Japanese team is set to announce they've overcome those hurdles."



http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/04...ugs-In-Engines



http://scienceblog.com/44560/laser-s...stion-engines/



Interesting concept. Wonder if it will ever come to production.

 

I smell a naked attempt to gin up venture capital here.

 

Actually, it sounds like a good idea... spark gaps are very small, a laser could ignite an entire section of the piston causing a more rapid burn.

 

would bring a new meaning to the term 'port and polish'

 

the problem is keeping the laser lens clean. Think about how bad spark plugs can get gunked up. Now, imagine trying to keep a laser lens clean under the same conditions. The worse the lens is gunked up, the worst performance the laser will have, and the more combustion will be compromised...and that will gunk up the laser lens even more....it's a self fulfilling cycle, and soon the engine wouldn't fire at all.



Also, as the laser tries to burn off the gunk on the lens, it runs the risk of either melting the lens itself, or permanently etching the glass/quartz service with burned off by-products. Anyone who has one of those glass top stoves (like i do) will tell you how hard it is to keep them clean, and what happens if you don't...the glass is permanently damaged with dark spots/pits.



Lasers will NOT replace spark plugs any time soon.



With the work being done via direct injection and dual spark plugs per cylinder (and soon to be 3-4 spark plugs per cylinder), the ICE will be spark plug fired for many, many years to come.

 

Maybe there could be a steel lens scraper added to the piston? Like spring loaded so it hones the lens just enough.... it works for the piston walls. They would only have to keep one spot clean... im súre this will end up on high end cars with some elegant solutios

 

The article mentions that they are made of a ceramic material. While harder than Glass/quartz, it's still subject to oxidation/discoloring and pitting.



it's one thing to invent the product. Making it reliable for 100,000 miles is much harder.

let's face it, would you want to spend $25x4 each/every 10,000 or 20,000 miles?

 

They are trying to generate publicity so somebody will lend them money to develop this idea. Don't poke too many holes in the idea before they get funding or you'll scare off the capital!

 

Sounds like it would be a good idea if they made it work with existing systems. The problem that I see is the power flow needed. We would have to get new coil packs, at the least, the next thing to worry about would be the plug wires and what they would need to be able to handle. But a great idea.