Technical Paper
Experimental Studies on Nano-Second High Voltage Plasma Ignition in a Constant Volume Combustion Chamber
2022-10-05
2022-28-0030
Conventional automotive ignition systems are known for their ability to ignite fuel-air mixtures with a spark, which is an example of thermal plasma. In recent times it has been demonstrated that compared to thermal plasma, non-thermal plasma is an effective means of enhancing combustion. To establish this point, an experimental setup was built, and experiments were carried out in a Constant Volume Combustion Chamber (CVCC) with a conventional J type spark plug. Under atmospheric conditions, the combustion tests were carried out with methane-air mixtures. A nano-second, high voltage repetitive pulse discharge generator was used as a non-thermal plasma ignition source. To generate thermal plasma, an induction-based automobile ignition system was used. Flame propagation inside the CVCC was captured using a high-speed camera by employing shadowgraph imaging.