NewZed Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Something to look forward to - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13160950 Here's an excerpt in case the link doesn't last - Lasers could replace spark plugs in car engines By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News Laser-based spark plug (Takunori Taira) Two or three lasers are focused to ignite fuel in more than one place Continue reading the main story Related Stories Scientists build first anti-laser Lasers can act as 'tractor beams' Car engines could soon be fired by lasers instead of spark plugs, researchers say. A team at the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics will report on 1 May that they have designed lasers that could ignite the fuel/air mixture in combustion engines. The approach would increase efficiency of engines, and reduce their pollution, by igniting more of the mixture. The team is in discussions with a spark plug manufacturer. The idea of replacing spark plugs - a technology that has changed little since their invention 150 years ago - with lasers is not a new one. Spark plugs only ignite the fuel mixture near the spark gap, reducing the combustion efficiency, and the metal that makes them up is slowly eroded as they age. Continue reading the main story “Start Quote In the past, lasers that could meet those requirements were... big, inefficient, and unstable†Takunori Taira National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki But only with the advent of smaller lasers has the idea of laser-based combustion become a practical one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 So, where do the sharks come in to play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74Adam Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Actually, they are ill-tempered sea bass....sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillerBjt Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Sounds cool but what is to stop the lasers from melting metal components in their line of sight over time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 "Laser-based spark plug (Takunori Taira) Two or three lasers are focused to ignite fuel in more than one place" This is the key to the whole laser thing. You are no longer restricted to a single ignition point, in a fixed location by design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Sounds cool but what is to stop the lasers from melting metal components in their line of sight over time? The same thing that stops thousands of explosions from melting metal components over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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