ADVANCED OPTICS AND OPTICAL ACCESS FOR LASER IGNITION SYSTEMS FOR GAS TURBINES INCLUDING AIRCRAFT ENGINES

• Main Authors: STICKLES, RICHARD WADE, VISE, STEVEN CLAYTON, KELSEY, MARK PATRICK, DENIS, SARA ROCCI, UMEH, CHUKWUELOKA OBIORA, BIRMAHER, SHAI, KOPECEK, HERBERT, AST, GABOR, LEONARD, GARY LEE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 30.05.2012
• Subjects: AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; BLASTING; COMBUSTION APPARATUS; COMBUSTION ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL; COMBUSTION PROCESSES; CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; GENERATING COMBUSTION PRODUCTS OF HIGH PRESSURE OR HIGHVELOCITY, e.g. GAS-TURBINE COMBUSTION CHAMBERS; HEATING; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS; IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FORINTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES; WEAPONS

A laser ignition system for an internal combustion engine, and more specifically a gas turbine engine, is provided. The system including a laser light source configured to generate a laser beam, an ignition port configured to provide optimized optical access of the laser beam to a combustion chamber and an optical beam guidance component disposed between the laser light source and the ignition port. The optical beam guidance component is configured to include optimized optic components to transmit the laser beam to irradiate on a fuel mixture supplied into the combustion chamber to generate a combustor flame in a flame region. A method for igniting a fuel mixture in an internal combustion engine is also presented.