Process for reducing the pollution due to an internal combustion engine, and an engine including the application of said process

An internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder and piston, air and fuel supply means for providing an air/fuel mixture, a high-tension ignition spark plug for the cylinder adjacent the top dead center end of the cylinder and having a high-tension electrode, additional air supply means in the vicinity of the high-tension electrode of the spark plug, said additional air supply means defining an annular passage coaxial with the electrode, means provided in said annular passage for imparting a whirling motion to said additional air flowing in the direction of the extremity of the electrode and into the cylinder, means for controlling the opening and closing of the additional air supply means and for opening the additional air supply means at least during a major part of the expansion stroke of the piston, an electric current supply circuit for the spark plug comprising means for prolonging the supply of current of the spark plug in a continuous manner to first initiate the electrical discharge for achieving a primary combustion of said mixture and thereafter without interruption achieve a secondary combustion during at least a major part of the expansion stroke of the piston.

An internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder and piston, air and fuel supply means for providing an air/fuel mixture, a high-tension ignition spark plug for the cylinder adjacent the top dead center end of the cylinder and having a high-tension electrode, additional air supply means in the vicinity of the high-tension electrode of the spark plug, said additional air supply means defining an annular passage coaxial with the electrode, means provided in said annular passage for imparting a whirling motion to said additional air flowing in the direction of the extremity of the electrode and into the cylinder, means for controlling the opening and closing of the additional air supply means and for opening the additional air supply means at least during a part of the expansion stroke of the piston, an electric current supply circuit for the spark plug comprising an ignition distributor having a rotary contact of such dimension that it prolongs the supply of current to the spark plug in a continuous manner to first initiate the electrical discharge for achieving a primary combustion of said mixture and thereafter without interruption achieve a secondary combustion during at least a part of the expansion stroke of the piston.

A process for reducing pollution due to an internal combustion engine piston and cylinder, which cylinder has two spark-producing electrodes in a combustion chamber of the cylinder, comprising starting a supply of high-tension electric current to said electrodes to initiate a high-tension electrical fuel-igniting discharge in the combustion chamber at the end of an air/fuel mixture compression stroke to cause explosion and primary combustion of said mixture, prolonging said supply of current to said electrodes in a continuous uninterrupted manner during at least a part of the expansion stroke while at the same time supplying an annular-section stream of whirling additional air in the vicinity of and encompassing said initial electrical discharge so as to form a plasma which reaches the residual mixture contained in the cylinder and produces a secondary combustion which tends to complete the combustion in said cylinder.