High efficiency internal combustion engine

A method for use in generating power in an internal combustion engine from combustion of a fuel admixed with an oxidizing medium and operating cyclically with intentional ignition of a fuel or with self-ignition of a fuel, the method comprising:

• periodically changing a volume of a variable-volume combustion chamber from a minimum volume to a maximum volume;
• controlling a flow of a fuel and an oxidizing medium into the chamber by an intake mechanism in such a way as to provide an upper limit on an amount of the fuel and the oxidizing medium which fills the chamber in each chamber-filling intake part of an engine cycle, the upper limit corresponding to a critical volume of the chamber at which the flow of the fuel and the oxidizing medium is cut off by the intake mechanism, the critical volume being smaller than the maximum volume;
• wherein a ratio of the maximum volume to the minimum volume is greater than a ratio of the critical volume to the minimum volume and is greater than a ratio of the maximum volume to the minimum volume causing self-ignition of the fuel;
• wherein the critical volume is a volume such as to just avoid self ignition at a subsequent compression of the fuel admixed with the oxidizing medium to the minimum volume in a subsequent compression stroke part of the cycle when the fuel is a fuel intended for utilization with intentional ignition, and wherein the critical volume is a volume to just achieve self ignition at the subsequent compression of the fuel admixed with the oxidizing medium to the minimum volume in the subsequent compression stroke part of the cycle when the fuel is a fuel intended for utilization with self-ignition;
• and
• wherein the combustion chamber is a first combustion chamber of a plurality of combustion chambers, the intake mechanism comprising a low pressure intake valve controlled by a controller and upstream of a plurality of high pressure intake valves of the plurality of combustion chambers, the plurality of high pressure intake valves allowing fluid communication between the plurality of combustion chambers and an exterior of the plurality of combustion chambers, and the controller controlling the low pressure intake valve to control the flow of the fuel and the oxidizing medium to the plurality of high pressure intake valves to provide resistance to the flow of the fuel and the oxidizing medium to the plurality of high pressure intake valves to provide the upper limit corresponding to the critical volume.

A method for use in generating power in an internal combustion engine from combustion of a fuel admixed with an oxidizing gas and operating cyclically with intentional ignition of a first fuel or with self-ignition of a second fuel, the method comprising:

• periodically changing a volume of a variable-volume combustion chamber from a fixed minimum volume to a fixed maximum volume, the maximum volume greater than a critical volume;
• the critical volume comprising a volume of the chamber filled with an oxidizing gas at an initial temperature and an initial pressure such that when the chamber is compressed from the critical volume to the minimum volume the gas reaches a maximum temperature and a maximum pressure causing detonation of the first fuel or the gas exceeds a maximum temperature and a maximum pressure predetermined for self ignition of the second fuel;
• controlling a flow of the oxidizing gas into the chamber in such a way as to provide an upper limit on an amount of the oxidizing gas which fills the chamber in each chamber-filling intake part of an engine cycle, the upper limit comprising a mass less than an amount of a mass of the oxidizing gas in the critical volume of the chamber,
• wherein a ratio of the maximum volume to the minimum volume is greater than 16.