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Lasers set to zap engines into running more efficiently
new scientist ^ | 20 February 2015 | by Hal Hodson

Posted on 02/20/2015 6:59:17 AM PST by ckilmer

PEW pew! For a week last November an internal combustion engine hummed away in a lab near Chicago. Why the excitement? This particular engine sets fire to fuel with lasers instead of spark plugs, burning fuel more efficiently than normal. Laser-fired engines could lead to cleaner, greener cars.

(Excerpt) Read more at newscientist.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: auto; car; energy; laser; sparkplug
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1 posted on 02/20/2015 6:59:17 AM PST by ckilmer
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To: ckilmer

How does burning fuel more efficiently lead to anything greener or cleaner? Doesn’t this simply change the proportion of different waste products?

The new technology is desirable because you get more energy out of a given amount of fuel. It’s less clear that it is cleaner.


2 posted on 02/20/2015 7:10:05 AM PST by mbarker12474
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To: ckilmer

Whether this really will work or not, it sure sounds awesome!


3 posted on 02/20/2015 7:11:01 AM PST by Marko413
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To: ckilmer

Anything that keeps the internal combustion engine alive is awesome. We can still improve on it.


4 posted on 02/20/2015 7:17:52 AM PST by miliantnutcase
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To: mbarker12474

All emissions reduction is based on creating more complete combustion, fewer waste pruducts.


5 posted on 02/20/2015 7:18:58 AM PST by bigbob (The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly. Abraham Lincoln)
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To: ckilmer

If the idea works, it means far more complete combustion with much higher level of efficiency in turning fuel into motive power—imagine 200 bhp from an I-4 engine but without the power “peakiness” of current engines of the same displacement that have that much power and way lower fuel consumption.


6 posted on 02/20/2015 7:19:30 AM PST by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's economic cure)
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To: mbarker12474
..... a laser ignites the fuel in the middle of the chamber instead, burning more of the fuel and improving combustion efficiency by 27 per cent. Laser ignition could boost the fuel efficiency of a car from 40 kilometres per litre up to around 50, for example. The more complete burn also emits fewer polluting by-products such as nitrogen dioxide.

If nitrates can be reduced, then remediation in the exhaust emission could be scaled back. This would also boost efficiency.

7 posted on 02/20/2015 7:19:42 AM PST by 11th Commandment ("THOSE WHO TIRE LOSE")
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To: Red Badger

Look Ma, no spark plugs ping!


8 posted on 02/20/2015 7:20:16 AM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: mbarker12474

If nothing else, it will burn less fuel, ergo less waste. Also, the worst pollutants from IC engines are unburned and partially-burned hydrocarbons, so anything that makes the fuel burn more completely will be cleaner.


9 posted on 02/20/2015 7:20:56 AM PST by Squawk 8888 (Will steal your comments & post them on Twitter)
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To: ckilmer

I remember reading about this a few years ago.

If it ever happens, I wonder if you will be able to retrofit an existing engine?


10 posted on 02/20/2015 7:22:47 AM PST by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: miliantnutcase
Anything that keeps the internal combustion engine alive is awesome. We can still improve on it.

I agree, and one place to start is on the whole reciprocating design. Converting linear motion to circular motion is not very efficient. A workable rotary engine would waste much less energy.

And I've often wondered about injecting gasoline VAPOR into the combustion chamber instead of particulate (atomized) gasoline. Liquid gasoline doesn't burn; it only ignites at the liquid-gas boundary of the atomized droplets. Wouldn't a proper air/gas mixture of vapor be much more explosive and avoid the loss of energy required for the state change from liquid to gas?

11 posted on 02/20/2015 7:24:36 AM PST by IronJack
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To: ckilmer

It might work but I don’t know if the mileage advantages will be enough to justify the cost.
Power needs to be high enough to ignite fuel in ms and optics would malfunction with carbon buildup in cylinders.


12 posted on 02/20/2015 7:24:52 AM PST by Zathras
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To: mbarker12474
How does burning fuel more efficiently lead to anything greener or cleaner? Doesn’t this simply change the proportion of different waste products?

If I was guessing, I'd say that to produce the same propulsion or "work" you could do it on less fuel. If it creates a certain amount of output based on inefficient burning, then you increase the burning and you would be able to do the same output on less fuel.

13 posted on 02/20/2015 7:25:03 AM PST by Dad was my hero
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To: ckilmer
"One shipping company we are talking to is interested in retrofitting their existing engines with laser ignition."

Cargo ships employ diesel engines. How would you retrofit a diesel engine with laser ignition?

14 posted on 02/20/2015 7:25:26 AM PST by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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To: ckilmer
In Ghosh's engine, a laser ignites the fuel in the middle of the chamber instead, burning more of the fuel and improving combustion efficiency by 27 per cent. Laser ignition could boost the fuel efficiency of a car from 40 kilometres per litre up to around 50, for example. The more complete burn also emits fewer polluting by-products such as nitrogen dioxide.

Great news if true................

15 posted on 02/20/2015 7:27:35 AM PST by Red Badger (If you compromise with evil, you just get more evil..........................)
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To: mbarker12474
The more complete burn also emits fewer polluting by-products such as nitrogen dioxide.
16 posted on 02/20/2015 7:28:10 AM PST by Red Badger (If you compromise with evil, you just get more evil..........................)
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To: ckilmer

17 posted on 02/20/2015 7:28:41 AM PST by isthisnickcool (NO MORE IRS!)
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To: smokingfrog

http://www.photonics.com/Article.aspx?AID=51731


18 posted on 02/20/2015 7:29:01 AM PST by 11th Commandment ("THOSE WHO TIRE LOSE")
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To: ckilmer

I normally don’t trust these ‘next great engine’ stories....but this one has great potential.

I wonder if the EGR system can be eliminated, with the improved combustion.


19 posted on 02/20/2015 7:30:36 AM PST by lacrew (5th)
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To: ckilmer
"One shipping company we are talking to is interested in retrofitting their existing engines with laser ignition."

One thing that I would have concern with changing over to laser ignition is the durability of the laser in the combustion chamber.

Today a set of spark plugs can easily last 100,000 miles.

Will a laser exposed to the punishing environment of a combustion chamber last that long?

20 posted on 02/20/2015 7:32:26 AM PST by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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