Internal combustion engine and a method of operating an internal combustion engine

An internal combustion engine comprising an engine block which defines an elongate cylinder having a longitudinal axis, a piston arranged in the cylinder so as to be slidable longitudinally back and forth in the cylinder, the piston not being connected mechanically to an output drive shaft of the engine, whereby combustion of fuel on one side of the piston causes movement of the piston along the cylinder to displace gas in the cylinder on the other side of the piston, so that combustion gases produced by said combustion drive an internal impeller which is connected via an external gear drive shaft to a gear external to the cylinder whereby at least some motive power of the engine is generated by the combustion gases acting on the internal impeller.

An internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of cylinder housings, each defining therewithin an elongate cylinder, each cylinder having a longitudinal axis, each cylinder having a drive shaft which extends out of the cylinder housing, axially of the cylinder, each drive shaft having a toothed gear wheel thereon, the engine further comprising a main gear which drives an output drive shaft, the gear wheels of the drive shafts being arranged to mesh with the main gear whereby rotation of the drive shaft of a cylinder rotates the main gear which, in turn, rotates the output drive shaft, the cylinders being arranged around the periphery of the main gear, wherein each cylinder has an internal impeller arrangement drivingly connected to the respective drive shaft.

A water/fuel emulsion fuelled internal combustion engine comprising an engine block defining a combustion chamber, a fuel inlet port leading into the chamber, a combustion gas outlet port leading from the chamber, an impeller in the chamber, the impeller being rotatably mounted on a shaft, which shaft extends out of the combustion chamber and which is driven in rotation by rotation of the impeller, a swirl-inducing formation being formed on an inside wall of the combustion chamber spaced from and generally opposite the impeller, an ignition device arranged adjacent the swirl-inducting formation, and an ignition mechanism adjacent the swirl-inducing formation whereby a water/fuel emulsion and air are introduced into the chamber, the ignition mechanism ignites the emulsion/air mixture and the combustion gases are caused to swirl by the swirl-inducing formation so as to impart rotation to the impeller.