The collaboration between scientist at Liverpool University and engineers at Ford Motor Company has developed the new spark plug which could help to cut harmful emissions from car engines by replacing the 90 year old technology of traditional spark plugs.
According to the team at Liverpool University, traditional spark plugs impose severe constraints on our ability to achieve ultra lean burn by manipulating combustion: they ignite the charge in a fixed position, so they can’t cope with a stratified charge. TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk
The new laser ignition system is reportedly more reliable – especially in cold weather – and aims to reduce fuel consumption and tailpipe exhaust emissions, particularly CO2.
Most modern engines, use multiple spark plugs positioned at the top or bottom of the cylinder in order to ignite as much of the fuel as possible.
Laser beams however, can be focused and split into multiple beams to give multiple ignition points, which means it can give a far better chance of ignition, and far better fuel efficiency.
To produce 3000 RPM, the laser will need to fire more than 50 times per seconds, but should still require less power than a conventional spark plug. Green Prophet
In current engines spark plugs are positioned at the top or bottom of a cylinder and they can often fail to ignite fuel effectively if the petrol is not in the right position in the cylinder.
In the new system the spark plug is replaced by a laser powered by the car battery which is sent along thin optical fibres into the engine’s cylinders where lenses focus the beam into an intense pinprick of light.
When fuel is injected into the engine, the laser is fired, producing enough heat to ignite the fuel and power the engine. Telegraph.co.uk
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