The humble spark plug R.I.P.?

[Mermaid]

The spark plug could soon be history, replaced by laser.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-1316...

[FraserLFA]

Interesting, but supplying people with lasers is only one step away from Star wars.

They look pretty cool though

[Stevorocket]

Twin spark plugs anyone?


Oh! that was 30 years ago........

[Hitler Hadrump]

"The approach would increase efficiency of engines, and reduce their pollution, by igniting more of the mixture."
Your days are numbered, diesel

[Balmoral Green]

Stevorocket said:

Twin spark plugs anyone?


Oh! that was 30 years ago........

92 years ago actually, 1919 Bentley 3 litre four pot 16 valve twin spark

[Tunku]

I can imagine these being used to improve diesel performance too, and ultimately being the answer to more multifuel engine development. Imagine a long line of high temperature area in a combustion chamber instead of a small single or double point, especially one that can be tuned.

[Mr2Mike]

Tunku said:

I can imagine these being used to improve diesel performance too, and ultimately being the answer to more multifuel engine development. Imagine a long line of high temperature area in a combustion chamber instead of a small single or double point, especially one that can be tuned.

A diesel has high temperature throughout the combustion chamber at the time the fuel is injected; that's how it works.

[BritishRacinGrin]

I doubt we'll see an immediate night-and-day improvement in MPG but I suspect this technology has a significant role to play in further extending service intervals and maintaining new spark plug like performance for the duration of their very long service lives.

[gazza285]

Balmoral Green said:

Stevorocket said:

Twin spark plugs anyone?


Oh! that was 30 years ago........

92 years ago actually, 1919 Bentley 3 litre four pot 16 valve twin spark

Older again, the Sopwith Camel had twin spark, as did many aero engines of that period.

[feef]

BritishRacinGrin said:

I doubt we'll see an immediate night-and-day improvement in MPG but I suspect this technology has a significant role to play in further extending service intervals and maintaining new spark plug like performance for the duration of their very long service lives.

I'd imagine it'd also require a complete redesign of the combustion chamber and the current swirl optimisation. At the moment, the fuel swirl is designed to allow complete propagation of the burn from the ignition point but I believe with a laser the ignition happens along it's beam, not at a single point. If that's the case, I can envisage a significant change in efficiency overnight. IIRC, Oxford uni did some research into compression ignition petrol in the 80's which had amazing MPG figures but relied on leaded fuel so with the implementation of cats and unleaded, that particular research project ended. I think VAG have been experimenting with compression ignition petrol in more recent days. Anyway, AIUI, one of the reasons compression ignition is more efficient than spark ignition, is that it gets away from that single point of ignition so a faster burn. It'll also make for a "cleaner" combustion chamber with fewer protrusions to cause any turbulence in the mixture flow.