Laser Ignition for Advanced Gasoline Engines

The overall objective of this program is to develop an innovative laser based ignition system to reliably ignite fuel-air mixtures during lean-burn combustion in gasoline engines. In this SBIR the new technology of high power vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) pumped solid state lasers developed at Princeton Optronics (PO) is used to develop reliable laser ignition systems for gasoline engines. VCSELs are highly reliable and capable of high temperature operation making them very well suited for ignition systems for automobile engines. In phase I a first version of the igniter was designed, built, and thoroughly tested at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in a Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine. Based on the test results a full prototype will be developed in phase II that meets all the specifications required for successful demonstration and commercialization of the laser - igniter for the automobile engines. Laser ignition using microlasers will be one of the enabling technologies for the next generation of automotive engines that will have very high engine efficiencies and ultra-low NOx emissions. Moreover, this technology is likely to be a key player in the adaptation of alternate fuels, such as, natural gas, methanol, etc. Overall this technology is poised to substantially reduce our gasoline consumption and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. On account of its better performance under challenging and hard to ignite combustion conditions, laser ignition is gaining in popularity and acceptance in other fields of propulsion and energy conversion - engines used for stationary power generation, high-altitude gas turbines, hypersonic aircraft, and rocket ignition. When fully developed the associated public benefits are going to be very tangible.