A free piston apparatus includes a piston receptacle in which a piston device having a piston is reciprocable along an axis. The piston receptacle includes a combustion chamber delimited by a wall arrangement forming an inlet opening for the supply of fresh gas and an outlet opening for the removal of exhaust gas. The free piston apparatus includes an inflow device, which has the inlet opening and is configured such that fresh gas flowing into the combustion chamber is directed to an incident flow region in the combustion chamber arranged offset axially to the inlet opening, which incident flow region is arranged off-center relative to the axis. A method for operating a free piston apparatus includes operating an inflow device which has an inlet opening configured such that fresh gas is directed to an incident flow region in a combustion chamber offset axially to the inlet opening.

When it is determined that the combustion state during the catalyst warm-up control is unstable, an additional ignition is performed on the TDC side relative to the discharge period CP. In a first countermeasure example, an additional ignition period CP.sub.2 is provided on the TDC side relative to the ignition period CP.sub.1 at the normal time while performing normal ignition and injection. A second countermeasure example is carried out when it is determined that the combustion state is still unstable despite the first countermeasure example. In the second countermeasure example, an additional ignition period CP.sub.3 which is a longer period than the additional ignition period CP.sub.2 is provided instead of the additional ignition period CP.sub.2.

When it is determined that the combustion state during the catalyst warm-up control is unstable, an additional ignition is performed on the TDC side relative to the discharge period CP. In a first countermeasure example, an additional ignition period CP.sub.2 is provided on the TDC side relative to the ignition period CP.sub.1 at the normal time while performing normal ignition and injection. A second countermeasure example is carried out when it is determined that the combustion state is still unstable despite the first countermeasure example. In the second countermeasure example, an additional ignition period CP.sub.3 which is a longer period than the additional ignition period CP.sub.2 is provided instead of the additional ignition period CP.sub.2.

A four-stroke reciprocating piston internal combustion engine is disclosed. The engine includes an even number of cylinders grouped into a first half and a second half. An exhaust gas turbocharger has a first turbine inlet and a second turbine inlet. Each of the cylinders has an intake duct with an intake opening, a first exhaust duct with a first exhaust opening, and a second exhaust duct with a second exhaust opening. The first half of cylinders is connected via the respective first exhaust ducts to the first turbine inlet and is connected via the second exhaust ducts to the second turbine inlet. The second half of cylinders is connected via the respective first exhaust ducts to the second turbine inlet and is connected via the respective second exhaust ducts to the first turbine inlet. The respective second exhaust openings have a larger diameter than the respective first exhaust openings.

A four-stroke reciprocating piston internal combustion engine is disclosed. The engine includes an even number of cylinders grouped into a first half and a second half. An exhaust gas turbocharger has a first turbine inlet and a second turbine inlet. Each of the cylinders has an intake duct with an intake opening, a first exhaust duct with a first exhaust opening, and a second exhaust duct with a second exhaust opening. The first half of cylinders is connected via the respective first exhaust ducts to the first turbine inlet and is connected via the second exhaust ducts to the second turbine inlet. The second half of cylinders is connected via the respective first exhaust ducts to the second turbine inlet and is connected via the respective second exhaust ducts to the first turbine inlet. The respective second exhaust openings have a larger diameter than the respective first exhaust openings.

Diesel engines modified to be fuelled with gaseous fuels experience problems with knocking and pre-ignition, limiting the compression ratio and efficiency of the engine. A new combustion chamber for a gaseous fuelled internal combustion engine, in which the combustion chamber is defined by a cylinder head, a bore in a cylinder block and a piston reciprocating in the bore, comprises a piston portion of the combustion chamber defined by a recessed shape in a piston crown; and a head portion of the combustion chamber defined by a recessed surface in the cylinder head. A ratio between the piston portion of combustion chamber volume and the head portion of combustion chamber volume is in a range of 0.7 to 1.3.

Diesel engines modified to be fuelled with gaseous fuels experience problems with knocking and pre-ignition, limiting the compression ratio and efficiency of the engine. A new combustion chamber for a gaseous fuelled internal combustion engine, in which the combustion chamber is defined by a cylinder head, a bore in a cylinder block and a piston reciprocating in the bore, comprises a piston portion of the combustion chamber defined by a recessed shape in a piston crown; and a head portion of the combustion chamber defined by a recessed surface in the cylinder head. A ratio between the piston portion of combustion chamber volume and the head portion of combustion chamber volume is in a range of 0.7 to 1.3.

Provided is an internal combustion engine including a sparkplug disposed in the vicinity of the center portion of an upper wall surface of a combustion chamber. Tumble flow generated during lean burn operation is controlled such that the tumble flow shape changes according to the engine rotation speed between a first tumble shape (usual tumble shape) in which the flow direction of a gas around the sparkplug at the time of ignition is direction from an intake valve side toward an exhaust valve side in a latter half of a compression stroke, and a second tumble shape ( tumble shape) in which the flow direction of the gas is reversed in the latter half of the compression stroke from the direction from the intake valve side toward the exhaust valve side to the direction from the exhaust valve side toward the intake valve side.

A direct injection internal combustion engine has an injector for directly injecting fuel into a combustion chamber. A first fuel injection, a second fuel injection, and a third fuel injection are performed in one combustion cycle of the engine when a temperature of the engine is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. The second fuel injection is completed in a near-bottom dead center range of 160 deg. to 200 deg. after the top dead center at which the intake stroke starts, the first fuel injection is performed in a range which is set on the advance side of the near-bottom dead center range, and the third fuel injection is performed in a range which is set on the retard side of the near-bottom dead center range. The first and third fuel injections are completed in a range from 90 deg. to 270 deg. after the top dead center.

A direct injection internal combustion engine has an injector for directly injecting fuel into a combustion chamber. A first fuel injection, a second fuel injection, and a third fuel injection are performed in one combustion cycle of the engine when a temperature of the engine is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. The second fuel injection is completed in a near-bottom dead center range of 160 deg. to 200 deg. after the top dead center at which the intake stroke starts, the first fuel injection is performed in a range which is set on the advance side of the near-bottom dead center range, and the third fuel injection is performed in a range which is set on the retard side of the near-bottom dead center range. The first and third fuel injections are completed in a range from 90 deg. to 270 deg. after the top dead center.