Research progress of microwave plasma ignition and assisted combustion

As the low temperature non-equilibrium plasma, microwave plasma has the same effects with the plasma produced by the traditional high voltage electrode, which has the function of widening ignition boundary and improving combustion. Microwave has the advantages of uniformity, particle selectivity and no electrode. It can generate a large range of non-equilibrium plasma with relatively low power without electrode ablation. Therefore, how to maximize its effectiveness has become the research hotspot of ignition and combustion in engines. At present, the related research mainly focuses on microwave plasma discharge and microwave assisted spark ignition. The results show that it can broaden lean and rich burn flammability limits, improve combustion efficiency, accelerate flame propagation speed, and reduce pollutant emissions. This paper summarizes the related research at home and abroad in recent years, the main conclusion is that how the microwave plasma affects the turbulence intensity of flow field will be the promising research, and the research trend of microwave plasma ignition and assisted combustion in future will be the research of microwave assisted plasma igniter.