Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for reducing emissions during an engine cold start. In one example, a method may include, during emission control device heating, initiating combustion in a cylinder via a spark plug directly coupled to the cylinder and providing secondary air via a turbulent jet ignition system. In this way, an amount of hydrocarbons in feedgas provided to the emission control device prior to the emission control device reaching its light-off temperature may be reduced.

Abstract: A method for controlling an internal combustion engine whereby, in a piston-cylinder unit provided with a prechamber, the quantity of propellant gas supplied to the prechamber is adjusted to regulate the operating characteristics of an inlet and/or outlet valve of the piston-cylinder unit.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine including at least one combustion chamber having a main chamber and a prechamber, wherein the prechamber is in fluid connection with the main chamber via at least one bore. The at least one combustion chamber is connected to a charging path for the supply of a combustion air-fuel mixture into the combustion chamber via the charging path. A fuel intermixing region is arranged in a section of the charging path separately assigned to the combustion chamber, which fuel intermixing region is in fluid connection with the charging path on one side and with a fuel line on the other side for the supply of fuel into the fuel intermixing region via a controllable fuel valve. The internal combustion engine wherein the prechamber and the fuel intermixing region are in fluid connection with one another via a check valve.

Abstract: A method for operating a spark ignited gaseous fuel internal combustion engine is disclosed. The engine may have at least one main combustion chamber and at least one ignition device configured to initiate an ignition event within an ignition region. The method may include supplying pressurized fuel to the ignition region at times between about 30° to about 0° crank angle before the ignition event is initiated by the ignition device for enriching the ignition region with fuel. The method may also include initiating an ignition event in the ignition region for combusting an enriched air/fuel mixture within the ignition region.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a hydrogen enriched fuel to a combustion prechamber. The method and apparatus includes reforming a quantity of fuel to produce a hydrogen enriched fuel, delivering the reformed fuel to the combustion prechamber, and combining the hydrogen enriched fuel with a fuel/air mixture to less than stoichiometric.

Abstract: A method is provided for operating an internal combustion engine comprising a combustion chamber defined by the inner wall of a cylinder, a cylinder head and the upper surface of a piston moveable longitudinally within the cylinder, the engine further comprising a pre-combustion chamber in communication with the combustion chamber. The method comprises supplying to the combustion chamber a first combustible mixture of a first hydrocarbon fuel and oxygen; supplying to the pre-combustion chamber a second combustible mixture of a second hydrocarbon fuel and oxygen, the second combustible mixture being auto-ignitable; and compressing the first and second combustible mixtures by moving the piston within the cylinder; wherein under operating conditions in which the aforementioned steps are insufficient to operate the engine and keep it running, the method further comprises the step of generating a spark to cause ignition of the compressed first combustible mixture in the combustion chamber.

Abstract: A system and method for monitoring a post-catalyst exhaust gas sensor in an engine is provided. The engine includes a cylinder bank coupled to a catalyst and an exhaust gas sensor disposed downstream of the catalyst generating a first signal. The method includes supplying a rich air-fuel mixture to the cylinder bank. The method further includes supplying a lean air-fuel mixture to the cylinder bank to supply oxygen to the catalyst. Finally, the method includes indicating the exhaust gas sensor is degraded when the first signal does not indicate a lean air-fuel ratio after supplying the lean air-fuel mixture for a first predetermined time period.

Abstract: For a combustion procedure for internal combustion engines, in which a fuair mixture mixed with back-fed exhaust gas is introduced into a combustion chamber, a highly-combustible fuel-air mixture without back-fed exhaust gas in introduced into at least one precombustion chamber, which is connected by means of at least one opening with the combustion chamber.

Abstract: The air fuel ratio control systems described for controlling the air fuel mixture being supplied to the prechamber of gaseous fueled, internal combustion engines includes a pressure control regulator that is responsive to inlet manifold pressure to assure that the pressure of the fuel supplied to the prechamber is as desired and includes volume flow control valves arranged in the air conduit and in the fuel conduit for providing the desired air fuel ratio. Further, the system may include controls for providing relatively rich fuel mixtures or fuel only to the prechambers at certain phases of operation of the engine.

Abstract: A method for operating a two cycle, spark ignition, internal combustion engine of the class having a combustion chamber divided into a relatively small ignition region and a larger combustion region in which the piston reciprocates. Substantially the same stoichiometric fuel-air mixtures are independently supplied to the ignition region in substantially fixed quantities and to the combustion region in variable quantities. These mixtures are compressed simultaneously so that they remain completely separated prior to ignition. The mixtures are stratified with respect to excess air supplied to both regions and to exhaust gases in the engine cylinder, and combustion initiated in the ignition region ignites the variable-sized mixture in the larger region. Burning proceeds from stoichiometric mixtures to lean mixtures as the stratified excess air is mixed into the burning gases. When no fuel is supplied to the combustion region, the ignition region functions independently and burns its fuel efficiently.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine comprising a combustion chamber, an injection chamber connected thereto through an injection port, a secondary inlet passage opening to the injection chamber, and a secondary inlet valve for opening and closing the secondary inlet passage. A spark plug extends into the combustion chamber with the spark gap of the plug close to the injection port. At the suction stroke of the engine, air in the injection chamber is injected near to the spark gap through the injection port to blow away the combustion gas around the gap and also to generate a strong swirl and turbulence of the mixture in the combustion chamber, thereby improving firing and combustion of the lean mixture in the combustion chamber to reduce the discharge of noxious components in the exhaust gas and to improve the fuel consumption.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for improving the combustion process of an internal combustion engine is disclosed. A prechamber containing a combustible mixture is designed to generate a torch emanating therefrom upon ignition; the torch is controlled to extend and penetrate deeply into the main combustion at a predetermined orientation without contact with the chamber walls. The swirling flame front of the sustained torch produces superior mixing with the unburned combustible mixture in the main combustion, particularly of a rotary engine. The prechamber is located outside the epitrochoid chamber of the rotary engine; in a nonstratified charge mode of this invention, the prechamber serves to receive a portion of the main chamber inducted charge during the compression cycle, which may be lean and difficult to ignite in the main chamber. In the prechamber, concentrated hot walls and a localized spark facilitate ready ignition, which in turn permits generation of a torch therefrom.

Abstract: A fuel system for a mixture-compressing, spark-ignited four cycle internal combustion engine with charge stratification of the type wherein a major portion of the charge is introduced into a main combustion chamber as a lean fuel-air mixture by a main mixture forming system such as a carburetor and wherein the remainder of the charge is introduced into an auxiliary combustion chamber joined to the main combustion chamber via a firing channel by an auxiliary combustion chamber injection pump and injection nozzle is improved by the provision of only a single fuel feed pump which is connected to the fuel tank and supplies fuel from the tank directly to the injection pump at a first pressure and supplies fuel to the main mixture forming system via a pressure reducing valve at a second pressure that is lower than the first pressure.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine comprising a combustion chamber, an injection chamber connected thereto through an injection port, a secondary inlet passage opening to the injection chamber, and a secondary inlet valve for opening and closing the secondary inlet passage. A spark plug is extended into the combustion chamber so as to dispose a spark gap of the plug close to the injection port. At the suction stroke of the engine, air in the injection chamber is injected near to the spark gap through the injection port to blow away the combustion gas around the gap and also to generate a strong swirl and turbulence of the mixture in the combustion chamber, thereby improving firing and combustion of the lean mixture in the combustion chamber to reduce the discharge of noxious components in the exhaust gas and improve the fuel consumption.

Abstract: Disclosed is an internal combustion engine comprising a combustion chamber and an accumulation chamber which are interconnected to each other via an accumulation valve. The opening operation of the accumulation valve is controlled so that the accumulation valve remains opened during the compression stroke. Fuel is fed into the accumulation chamber to form therein a rich mixture. In the first half of the compression stroke, a jet of the rich mixture is spouted out into the combustion chamber from the accumulation chamber to stratify the inside of the combustion chamber so that the rich mixture is collected around the spark plug. In the latter half of the compression stroke, a lean mixture in the combustion chamber flows into the accumulation chamber to accumulate the mixture under high pressure, which is spouted out into the combustion chamber at the next cycle, in the accumulation chamber.