Internal combustion engine and a method of operating the engine
AssigneeJaguar Cars Limited
InventorBryan N. V. Parsons
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An internal combustion engine, and a method of operating an internal combustion engine, of the kind in which recycled exhaust gases are reacted with a hydrocarbon fuel in a combustion space to produce a reformed fuel of enhanced calorific value by cracking molecules of the hydrocarbon fuel, the invention providing for means for the supply of air to the combustion space in the cylinder and separate means for the supply of the cracked and reformed fuel enabling an efficient engine operation to be achieved with economical use of fuel.
Claims23
An internal combustion engine having a cylinder, a reaction chamber for receiving a supply of hydrocarbon fuel, means for supplying exhaust gas from the cylinder combustion chamber to the reaction chamber to enable a reaction to take place therein to produce a cracked and reformed fuel, means for the supply of air to the combustion chamber and separate means for the supply thereto of the reformed fuel from the reaction chamber, and means for controlling flow of air and reformed fuel into the combustion chamber, so that at least part of the air enters the combustion chamber before the reformed fuel begins to be introduced into the combustion chamber.
A method of operating an internal combustion engine including the steps of;
- recycling at least a portion of exhaust gs produced in an engine cylinder combustion chamber;
- reacting the recycled exhaust gas with a hydrocarbon fuel to produce a reformed fuel by cracking molecules of the hydrocarbon fuel;
- feeding the reformed fuel to a combustion chamber during an induction stroke;
- and feeding an air supply to the combustion chamber;
- the reformed fuel and air being fed to the combustion chamber separately, and being timed to occur so that at least part of the air is supplied before introduction of the reformed fuel begins, for each supply operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.