Transient plasma ignition of quiescent and flowing fuel mixtures

Summary form only given. Transient plasmas which exist during the formative phase of a pulse-ignited atmospheric pressure plasma were studied for application to ignition of quiescent fuel-air mixtures including methane, ethane, propane, butane and octane as a function of equivalence ratio and other factors, and flowing ethane-air mixtures in a pulse detonation engine (PDE). The transient plasma was primarily comprised of streamers which exist during approximately 50 nanoseconds prior to the formation of a equilibrated electron energy distribution. Results of significant reduction in delay to ignition and ignition rise time were obtained with energy costs roughly comparable to traditional spark ignition methods (<100 to few hundred mJ). Observations of reduction in delay to ignition by factors of typically 3 (in quiescent mixes) to >4 (in a flowing PDE, 0.35 kg/sec), and other enhancements in performance were obtained. These results, along with a discussion of a pseudospark-based pulse generator that was developed for these applications, are presented.