Laser ignition?
Laser ignition?
What is everyone's guess?
My guess is two lasers, on the same frequency, will meet in the center of the combustion area, the heat remains while the monochromatic light cancels out.
My guess is two lasers, on the same frequency, will meet in the center of the combustion area, the heat remains while the monochromatic light cancels out.
Is this prompted by a new piece of information? Been quite a while since we have seen it referenced in an article.
All sorts of ways it could happen. Why would the light itself need to be canceled?
All sorts of ways it could happen. Why would the light itself need to be canceled?
Any new developments on this? Last I heard of it was in the early 2000's. I just don't see how you could keep the optic needed to pass the light into the combustion chamber clean enough to function well long term.
The way these things would work is to focus the laser to a small but intense spot hot enough to cause ignition (think burning ants with a magnifying glass) - so you really only need one laser and the frequency (color) doesn't matter much.
The way these things would work is to focus the laser to a small but intense spot hot enough to cause ignition (think burning ants with a magnifying glass) - so you really only need one laser and the frequency (color) doesn't matter much.
Mazda has filed a few patents on it, and there have been various rumor mill magazine articles over the past few years about the possibility that the next rotary will have laser ignition.
In practice, I don't think the 'clean combustion chamber' is really all that much of a problem for a rotary, since it can use the same concept as the exhaust porting for an "ignition port", that is only exposed by the rotor for a brief moment (and can get more and more creative if you consider grooves or channels or differently shaped edges to the rotors, etc...), and the laser doesn't have to be in the iron due to mirrors. I would expect the greatest challenge would be durability and longevity. If you think your ignition is expensive now, wait till you have laser ignition
Mazda would have to make them pretty much lifetime never fail under some pretty harsh conditions.
In practice, I don't think the 'clean combustion chamber' is really all that much of a problem for a rotary, since it can use the same concept as the exhaust porting for an "ignition port", that is only exposed by the rotor for a brief moment (and can get more and more creative if you consider grooves or channels or differently shaped edges to the rotors, etc...), and the laser doesn't have to be in the iron due to mirrors. I would expect the greatest challenge would be durability and longevity. If you think your ignition is expensive now, wait till you have laser ignition
Mazda would have to make them pretty much lifetime never fail under some pretty harsh conditions.
hot enough to cause ignition (think burning ants with a magnifying glass)
MAZDA:16X | The Rotary Engine
A laser ignition system was/is supposed to be on the next rotary engine. very curious how this is supposed to work myself, couldn't imagine how much it would cost to replace a laser ignition system.
A laser ignition system was/is supposed to be on the next rotary engine. very curious how this is supposed to work myself, couldn't imagine how much it would cost to replace a laser ignition system.
The two identical frequency laser's light cancels each other out where they meet, leaving only the heat.
Last edited by Rote8; Aug 24, 2012 at 09:37 PM.
Hmm. I admit I am no where near an expert on lasers, but isn't it the heat that lasers cut with? Not sure how the light itself would eat through the engine. Also having a mirrored or defracting/defusing surface in line with the laser seems like it solve the problem as well, and if it gets carboned then it just eats the carbon until it gets scattered again. 
You may know more about this than I.

You may know more about this than I.
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