# US 11,111,846 B2 · Lube oil controlled ignition engine combustion > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,111,846 B2 - Document ID: US11111846B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/039,266 - Filed: 2018-07-18 - Published: 2019-01-24 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2017-07-18 - Assignees: Prometheus Applied Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Prometheus Applied Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Maria-Emmanuella Sotiropoulou; Luigi P. Tozzi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11111846B2 ## CPC - F02B 43/10: Engines or plants characterised by use of other specific gases, e.g. acetylene, oxyhydrogen - F02B 1/12: with compression ignition (with fuel-air charge ignited by compression ignition of an additional fuel F02B7/00) - F02D 13/0234: {changing the valve timing only} - F02D 13/0269: {Controlling the valves to perform a Miller-Atkinson cycle} - F02D 19/022: {to adjust the fuel pressure, temperature or composition} - F02D 19/024: {by controlling fuel injectors} - F02D 19/10: peculiar to compression-ignition engines in which the main fuel is gaseous - F02M 21/0254: {Electric actuators, e.g. solenoid or piezoelectric} - F02M 21/0257: {Details of the valve closing elements, e.g. valve seats, stems or arrangement of flow passages} - F02M 21/0275: {for in-cylinder direct injection, e.g. injector combined with spark plug} - F02B 2043/103: {Natural gas, e.g. methane or LNG used as a fuel} - F02B 2275/14: Direct injection into combustion chamber - Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies - Y02T 10/30: Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels - F02B: INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL (gas-turbine plants F02C; hot-gas or combustion-product positive-displacement engine plants F02G) - F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W) - F02M: SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract In certain embodiments, Lube Oil Controlled Ignition (LOCI) Engine Combustion overcomes the drawbacks of known combustion technologies. First, lubricating oil is already part of any combustion engine; hence, there is no need to carry a secondary fuel and to have to depend on an additional fuel system as in the case of dual-fuel technologies. Second, the ignition and the start of combustion rely on the controlled autoignition of the lubricating oil preventing the occurrence of abnormal combustion as experienced with the Spark Ignition technology. Third, LOCI combustion is characterized by the traveling of a premixed flame; hence, it has a controllable duration resulting in a wide engine load-speed window unlike the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition technology where the engine load-speed window is narrow. Adaptive Intake Valve Closure may be used to control in-cylinder compression temperature to be high enough to realize the consistent auto ignition of the lubricating oil mist. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An internal combustion engine comprising an adaptive intake valve closing timing control system wherein an intake valve closing timing is selected based on one or more of a lubrication oil autoignition temperature, a fuel methane number, an engine oil consumption rate, an engine compression ratio and an engine air-fuel mixture to cause consistent autoignition of a lubrication oil mist present in the engine combustion chamber. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein the intake valve closing timing is advanced when the lubrication oil autoignition temperature is lower than about 700 K and is retarded when the lubrication oil autoignition temperature is higher than about 700 K. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein the intake valve closing timing is advanced when the fuel methane number is lower than about 70 and is retarded when the fuel methane number temperature is higher than about 70. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein the intake valve closing timing is advanced when the engine oil consumption rate is higher than about 0.2 g/kW-h and is retarded when the engine oil consumption rate is lower than about 0.2 g/kW-h. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein the intake valve closing timing is advanced when the engine compression ratio is higher than about 13 and is retarded when the engine compression ratio is lower than about 13. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein the intake valve closing timing is advanced when an engine air-fuel mixture is lower than about 1.8 Lambda and is retarded when the engine air-fuel mixture is higher than about 1.8 Lambda. ### Claim 7 An internal combustion engine comprising an engine combustion chamber; an adaptive intake valve closing timing control system comprising; an engine controller; an intake valve; and an intake valve actuator coupled to the engine controller; wherein the engine controller is configured to receive input parameter values of one or more of a lubrication oil autoignition temperature, a fuel methane number, an engine oil consumption rate, an engine compression ratio and an engine air-fuel mixture and to provide a feedback signal to the intake valve actuator to control the opening and closing of the intake valve to control an air-fuel mixture compression temperature to cause consistent autoignition of a lubrication oil mist present in the engine combustion chamber. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The internal combustion engine of claim 7 wherein consistent autoignition of the lubrication oil mist present in the engine combustion chamber occurs at a selected timing with respect to a piston position to maximize engine efficiency and minimize exhaust emissions. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The internal combustion engine of claim 7 wherein the intake valve actuator is an electromechanical valve actuator controlled by the engine controller. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The internal combustion engine of claim 7 wherein the intake valve actuator is controlled based on one or more of a lubrication oil autoignition temperature, a fuel methane number, an engine oil consumption rate, an engine load, an engine compression ratio and an engine air-fuel mixture.