Energy-cell combustion system

An improved combustion system for a diesel engine having at least one cylinder with a side wall;

• a piston with a top surface mounted in said cylinder for reciprocal movement therein;
• a cylinder head with a fire-deck surface overlaying the cylinder to form, in combination with the top of the piston and the side walls of the cylinder a combustion chamber;
• at least two intake passages extending in the cylinder head for directing air flow to the combustion chamber, at least two intake valves to control air flow through the intake passages into the combustion chamber;
• at least one exhaust passage extending in the cylinder head for discharging exhaust from the combustion chamber;
• the exhaust passage having at least one exhaust valve to control exhaust flow through the exhaust passage;
• a fuel injector mounted in the cylinder head substantially central to the associated cylinder and piston;
• said piston having a deep bowl-like cavity formed therein and positioned substantially on the centerline of said piston and cylinder;
• an energy-cell formed in said bowl-like cavity and covered by a cap member, a space formed above said energy-cell and below the bottom surface of said cylinder head creating a main combustion chamber;
• the improvement characterized by;
• said fuel injector having a hybrid nozzle tip with a central outlet controlled by a movable pintle extension of the nozzle needle to discharge a central injection of fuel into the combustion chamber substantially along the centerline of the cylinder and piston;
• said hybrid nozzle tip also having auxiliary outlets disposed about the central outlet to discharge a plurality of fuel plumes angled from the centerline of the cylinder;
• said energy-cell being in fluid communication with said main combustion chamber through a plurality of transfer passages extending through said cap member;
• said transfer passages including a main central passage aligned with the centerline of said piston, and also including a plurality of peripherally disposed passages about said main central passage;
• said cap member being disposed within said piston's bowl-like cavity so that it is always spaced from said nozzle tip of said fuel injector;
• the distance thereinbetween being sufficient so that a central fuel plume discharged from the central outlet of said fuel injector first travels through the hot compressed air in said main combustion chamber located above said cap member of said energy-cell and ignites therein before a significant portion of said fuel plume passes through said central transfer passage of said cap member into said energy-cell for subsequent combustion therein.