Method and apparatus for igniting combustible mixtures

摘要

A combustible mixture composed of a flowing fuel and gaseous oxygen is ignited by exposing one or both of the constituents of the mixture to a region of corona discharge in order to generate molecular radicals which subsequently combine with radicals of the other constituent to initiate combustion. The apparatus includes at least two electrodes (14 & 16) having a voltage potential impressed thereacross to generate a region of intense electric field and means to maintain the resulting voltage-current characteristic relationship within a corona discharge region of operation (42).