Laser-induced ignition characteristics of methane- and hydrogen-air mixtures at high pressures

Herbert Kopecek; M. Weinrotter; S. Charareh; F. Winter; Ernst Wintner

doi:10.1117/12.580026

15 July 2004 Laser-induced ignition characteristics of methane- and hydrogen-air mixtures at high pressures

Herbert Kopecek, M. Weinrotter, S. Charareh, F. Winter, Ernst Wintner

Proceedings Volume 5506, Nonresonant Laser-Matter Interaction (NLMI-11); (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.580026
Event: Nonresonant Laser-Matter Interaction (NLMI-11), 2003, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

Abstract

A Nd:YAG laser was employed to ignite methane- and hydrogen-air mixtures to investigate relevant parameters of laser ignition. The lean side ignition limit of methane was found to be at air/fuel-equivalence ratios (λ) of 2.4 applying a laser pulse energy of 50 mJ. It has to be mentioned, however, that above λ = 2.2 only slowest combustions causing weak pressure rises could be observed. Successful ignitions of hydrogen-air mixtures were achieved up to λ = 8 but it was not possible to examine the lean side limit due to weakest pressure rises far below detection limits for λ >8. Despite much lower values of minimum ignition energy for reported hydrogen-air mixtures in the literature, the minimum laser pulse energies examined for ignition are of the same magnitude as for ignition of rich methane-air mixtures lying around 5 mJ. Minimum pulse energy needed for ignition was decreasing with increasing pressure for hydrogen-air mixtures showing the same trend as in case of methane. The ignition delay time for hydrogen at λ = 2.0 could be observed as ~7 ms being 40 times shorter compared to methane at the same air/fuel ratio. Unfavorable transmission losses of laser energy were observed for methane/air mixtures below λ = 2.1 demanding optimized focusing optics and temporal pulse shaping for future laser ignition systems.

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Herbert Kopecek, M. Weinrotter, S. Charareh, F. Winter, and Ernst Wintner "Laser-induced ignition characteristics of methane- and hydrogen-air mixtures at high pressures", Proc. SPIE 5506, Nonresonant Laser-Matter Interaction (NLMI-11), (15 July 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.580026

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KEYWORDS

Pulsed laser operation

Combustion

Laser energy

Methane

Hydrogen

Plasma

Laser systems engineering

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