Fuel combustion assembly for an internal combustion engine having an encapsulated spark plug for igniting lean gaseous fuel within a precombustion chamber

A fuel combustion assembly for an internal combustion engine including (i) an engine block having a piston cylinder defined therein, (ii) an engine head secured to said engine block, and (iii) a piston which translates within said piston cylinder, wherein said piston, said piston cylinder, and said engine head cooperate so as to define a main combustion chamber, comprising:

• a precombustion member secured to said engine head, wherein (i) said precombustion member has a number of first ignition orifices defined therein, (ii) said precombustion member further has a precombustion chamber defined therein, and (iii) said precombustion member is positioned relative to said engine head such that said precombustion chamber is in fluid communication with said main combustion chamber via said number of first ignition orifices;
• and
• a spark plug for igniting a gaseous fuel, wherein (i) said spark plug includes an encapsulating member which has a number of second ignition orifices defined therein, said encapsulating member defines a plug combustion chamber, (ii) said spark plug further includes a center electrode and a ground electrode, both said center electrode and said ground electrode are positioned within said plug combustion chamber, and (iii) said encapsulating member is positioned relative to said precombustion member such that said plug combustion chamber is in fluid communication with said precombustion chamber via said number of second ignition orifices.

A method of igniting gaseous fuel within a fuel combustion assembly of an internal combustion engine, wherein the internal combustion engine includes (i) an engine block having a piston cylinder defined therein, (ii) an engine head secured to the engine block, and (iii) a piston which translates within the piston cylinder, wherein the piston, the piston cylinder, and the engine head cooperate so as to define a main combustion chamber, and further wherein the fuel combustion assembly includes (i) a precombustion member having a precombustion chamber defined therein, and (ii) a spark plug having a plug combustion chamber defined therein, comprising the steps of:

• generating a spark within the plug combustion chamber so as to ignite gaseous fuel therein such that a first quantity of burning fuel is advanced out of the plug combustion chamber and into the precombustion chamber;
• igniting gaseous fuel within the precombustion chamber with the first quantity of burning fuel such that a second quantity of burning fuel is advanced out of the precombustion chamber and into the main combustion chamber;
• and
• igniting gaseous fuel within the main combustion chamber with the second quantity of burning fuel, whereby gaseous fuel within the main combustion chamber combusts so as to advance the piston within the piston cylinder.