Method for operating an internal combustion engine and internal combustion engine for carrying out this method

Abstract

A method for operating a combustion engine in which an oxygen-containing mixture is compressed in successive working strokes and thus heated and combusted, with the combustion gases expanding. Part of the fuel used is heated to at least its ignition temperature and then injected in the gaseous state into the oxygen-containing mixture according to a predetermined combustion process. The combustion is started by injecting heated fuel into the oxygen-containing mixture heated due to compression and is controlled by varying the amount of injected fuel, its distribution and the duration of the injection process. The fuel may be heated before injection by a separate heater, the hot combustion gases and by compressing the fuel. The fuel may be compressed by combining it with the mixture compression. The combustion process may be controlled by varying the pressure and/or the temperature of the fuel in the fuel delivery system or by varying the fuel composition, or by varying the flow cross sections in the fuel delivery system. The pressure of the oxygen-containing mixture may also be adjusted. A combustion engine for carrying out this method has at least one cylinder holding a reciprocating piston and a fuel delivery system. The fuel is drawn in and compressed by an intermittently operating piston compressor, and the fuel injection may use a valve.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.