Method for operating an internal combustion engine and internal combustion engine in accordance with said method

A method of operating a reciprocating internal combustion engine (10) comprising:

• a water tank (23),
• at least one cylinder (11),
• a piston (12) that can perform an axial reciprocating movement housed inside this cylinder, this piston including a head and an arm hinged to this head,
• at least one intake valve (19), and
• one exhaust valve (20) provided on the cylinder (11) above the piston (12), the method using gaseous dihydrogen and comprising the steps of:
• a) during a first step, feeding a predetermined volume of gaseous dihydrogen and a predetermined volume of a gaseous mix containing oxygen into a space of the cylinder (11) located above the head of the piston (12);
• b) during a second step, causing the mix of gaseous dihydrogen and oxygen fed into the cylinder (11) to explode at the moment when the piston (12) passes a top dead center (TDC);
• c) during a third step, injecting a predetermined volume of water from the tank (23) into the cylinder (11), into a space located above the piston (12), and instantaneously vaporizing this water under the influence of the heat produced by the explosion of the mix of gaseous dihydrogen and oxygen for cooling down the engine;
• and
• d) during a fourth step, exhausting the steam produced by the evaporation of the injected water and the combustion of the gaseous dihydrogen,
• the first, second and third steps occur while the piston (12) passes from the top dead center (TDC) to a bottom dead center (BDC) while the fourth step occurs as the piston (12) passes from the bottom dead center (BDC) to the top dead center (TDC).

A reciprocating internal combustion engine (10) comprising:

• a water tank (23),
• at least one cylinder (11),
• a piston (12) that can perform an axial reciprocating movement housed inside this cylinder, the piston including a head and an arm hinged to this head,
• at least one intake valve (19), and
• at least one exhaust valve (20) provided on the cylinder above the piston, wherein the reciprocating internal combustion engine (10) includes:
• means (19, 21a) for feeding, during a first step, a predetermined volume of gaseous dihydrogen and a predetermined volume of a gaseous mix containing oxygen into the cylinder (11) into a space located above the head of the piston (12),
• means (22) for producing, during a second step, explosion of the mix of gaseous dihydrogen and oxygen fed into the cylinder (11) at the moment when the piston (12) passes a top dead center (TDC),
• means (21b) for injecting, during at least one third step, a predetermined volume of water from the tank (23) into the cylinder (11), into a space located above the piston (12), to instantaneously vaporize this water under influence of heat produced by the explosion of the gaseous dihydrogen and the oxygen for cooling the engine, and
• means (20) for exhausting, during a fourth step, the steam produced by the evaporation of the injected water and the combustion of the gaseous dihydrogen.