Advanced optics and optical access for laser ignition for gas turbines including aircraft engines

A combustion engine system comprising:

• an engine including a combustion chamber;
• at least one laser light source configured to generate a laser beam;
• a windowless ignition port, formed in a combustor wall defining the combustion chamber and adjacent to a flame region in the combustion chamber, the windowless ignition port configured to provide optimized optical access to the combustion chamber;
• a fuel nozzle operative to transmit a combustive medium into the combustion chamber;
• and
• an optical beam guidance component coupled to the at least one laser light source at a first end to provide mechanical alignment of the at least one laser light source and the windowless ignition port formed in the combustor wall, the at least one laser light source spaced from the windowless ignition port so as to allow fluid communication to create a positive pressure differential between the exterior and interior through the windowless ignition port, the optical beam guidance component configured to include optimized optic components to align the laser beam emitted from the at least one laser light source with the windowless ignition port,
• wherein the laser beam is operative to ignite the combustive medium in the combustion chamber.

A method for igniting a fuel mixture in an internal combustion engine, the method comprising:

• generating at least one laser beam with at least one laser light source;
• transmitting the at least one laser beam through at least one optical beam guidance component coupled to the at least one laser light source at a first end to provide mechanical alignment of the at least one laser light source and a windowless ignition port formed in the combustor wall, the at least one laser light source spaced from the windowless ignition port so as to allow fluid communication to create a positive pressure differential between the exterior and interior through the windowless ignition port, the optical beam guidance configured to include optimized optic components to align the laser beam emitted from the at least one laser light source with the windowless ignition port;
• transmitting the laser beam through a windowless ignition port formed in a combustor wall defining the combustion chamber and adjacent to a flame region in the combustion chamber, the windowless ignition port configured to provide optimized optical access to the combustion chamber, wherein transmitting the at least one laser beam includes focusing the at least one laser beam on the fuel mixture supplied into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine;
• and
• igniting the fuel mixture with the focused laser beam to generate a combustor flame in a flame region.