Lasers as Spark Plugs

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Careful about that 40% increase...it probably means 40% of 25%, and is optimistic at that.

My (former) steam turbines are 35-40%, and the travelling blade salesmen were offering 0.5-3.5% efficiency improvement. When asked was that absolute or relative, they made a phone call and came back, "oh relative"...0.2% to 1% improvement basically, when measuring accuracy is lucky to be 0.5%


There are seriously travelling turbine blade salesmen? Good lord....

 

[beanoil]

Laser technology is advancing. The plaser (you heard it here first: plug-laser) is certianly possible, but the limiting factor is the diode as stated. I've serviced laser printers for 30 years. What used to be a huge power supply, helium-neon tube, and mirrors, has been condensed to a very small power supply and a VLD (visible laser diode). The trade off is the diode loses efficiency over time, and needs more frequent replacement vs. the he-ne tube. Some of those he-ne tubes have never been replaced, and still have factory output after 25 years.

 

[Craig in Canada]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Craig in Canada
I don't understand just how this would be very effective.

Not sure if it answers your questions, but I found this while google'ing:

Practical internal combustion engine laser spark plug development




It didn't directly, but it provided me with a couple of different search terms which found this which more directly answers my questions concerning how a laser focused on nothing can cause air to breakdown into plasma.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: NateDN10
Originally Posted By: badtlc
For the record, "laser pointers" are not true "lasers" and should not be classified as a laser.

Care to explain why not?


They are just LEDs. To be a laser, there has to be a light amplification process, not just coherent light. Not to mention, the diffraction of a true laser is very very minimal compared to your "pocket lasers" or laser pins.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Careful about that 40% increase...it probably means 40% of 25%, and is optimistic at that.

My (former) steam turbines are 35-40%, and the travelling blade salesmen were offering 0.5-3.5% efficiency improvement. When asked was that absolute or relative, they made a phone call and came back, "oh relative"...0.2% to 1% improvement basically, when measuring accuracy is lucky to be 0.5%


There are seriously travelling turbine blade salesmen? Good lord....

Yep, there's salesmen for everything beating on the doors every day...

There's heaps of these places sending emails every week too, telling of what the latest bits to hit the salvage/auction/clearing house.

http://www.equipmatching.com/used_equipment/5/83

 

[NateDN10]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
They are just LEDs. To be a laser, there has to be a light amplification process, not just coherent light. Not to mention, the diffraction of a true laser is very very minimal compared to your "pocket lasers" or laser pins.

This is not true. There are a couple different ways it's accomplished, but laser diodes do go through the process of light amplification by stimulated emission.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_diode