Turbulent jet controlled compression ignition (TJCCI) engine

A turbulent jet controlled compression ignition (TJCCI) engine system, comprising:

• an engine block with a cylinder;
• a piston configured to move up and down inside a main chamber of the cylinder;
• a prechamber in fluid communication with the main chamber;
• a fuel injector mounted to the engine block and in fluid communication with the main chamber;
• and
• a computer system, having a memory and a processor, in communication with the piston, an exhaust valve, an intake valve, one or more fuel injectors, and a spark plug, wherein the spark plug is connected to the prechamber, where the processor is configured to:
• operate an engine in a first engine operating map region and a second engine operating map region by performing passive jet ignition combustion with a first stoichiometric fuel mixture and a first volume of residual gas;
• operate the engine in a mode transition region by performing passive jet ignition combustion with a second stoichiometric fuel mixture and a second volume of residual gas,
• wherein the second volume of residual gas is controlled by an ignition timing to meet a target engine load;
• operate the engine in a third engine operating map region by performing turbulent jet controlled compression ignition (TJCCI) with an ultra lean fuel mixture and a first volume of cooled exhaust gas recirculation;
• operate the engine in the mode transition region;
• operate the engine in a fourth engine operating map region by performing passive jet ignition combustion with a third stoichiometric fuel mixture and a second volume of cooled exhaust gas recirculation;
• and
• operate the engine in a fifth engine operating map region, wherein the fifth engine operating map region is characterized by shutting off the engine.

A method, comprising:

• designing an engine to operate using passive jet ignition combustion under a first set of engine parameters, wherein passive jet ignition combustion comprises:
• injecting fuel from a fuel injector into a main chamber of the engine such that an amount of the fuel is directed into a prechamber to provide a prechamber fuel air mixture in the prechamber and a main chamber fuel air mixture in the main chamber, wherein the prechamber is adjacent to and in fluid communication with the main chamber;
• generating a spark in the prechamber to ignite the prechamber fuel air mixture;
• and
• ejecting the ignited prechamber fuel air mixture from the prechamber into the main chamber to ignite the main chamber fuel air mixture,
• wherein the first set of engine parameters comprises:
• an engine speed ranging from a first minimum speed to a first maximum speed;
• and
• an engine load ranging from a first minimum load to a first maximum load, and
• wherein under the first set of engine parameters, a ratio of fuel to air provided in the main chamber and the prechamber after the injecting is a stoichiometric ratio;
• designing the engine to operate using passive jet ignition combustion under a second set of engine parameters, the second set of engine parameters comprising:
• the engine speed ranging from greater than the first maximum speed to a second maximum speed;
• and
• the engine load ranging from the first minimum load to a second maximum load,
• designing the engine to change the ratio of fuel to air provided in the main chamber and the prechamber to an ultra-lean ratio when the engine is operated under a third set of engine parameters,
• wherein under the third set of engine parameters, the engine speed is greater than the first maximum speed and the engine load is greater than the second maximum load, and
• wherein the ultra-lean ratio comprises more air than fuel;
• and
• operating the engine under different engine parameters by conducting the injecting at different times as a piston cycles in the main chamber.