A process of operating a spark-ignited internal combustion engine (SI-ICE) with improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions including under steady state and under lean-operating conditions at high overall air to fuel (AFR) ratios. A first supply of high octane hydrocarbon fuel, such as gasoline or natural gas, and a first supply of oxidant are fed to a fuel reformer to produce a gaseous reformate with a reforming efficiency of greater than 75 percent relative to equilibrium. The gaseous reformate is mixed with a second supply of oxidant, after which the resulting reformate blended oxidant is fed with a second supply of high octane hydrocarbon fuel to the SI-ICE for combustion. Steady state fuel efficiency is improved by more than 3 percent, when the reformate comprises from greater than about 1 to less than about 18 percent of the total volume of reformate blended oxidant fed to the engine.

A vehicle internal combustion piston and method of construction thereof are provided. The piston includes piston body extending along a central longitudinal axis, having an upper combustion wall forming an upper combustion surface and an undercrown surface opposite the upper combustion surface. An annular ring belt region depends from the upper combustion surface, a pair of skirt panels depend from the ring belt region, and a pair of pin bosses depend from the undercrown surface to provide laterally spaced pin bores aligned along a pin bore axis for receipt of a wrist pin. The undercrown surface forms a central undercrown region, and a portion of either an open outer cooling gallery, a sealed outer cooling gallery, or an outer galleryless region. A coating comprising a base layer including nickel and a catalyst layer including rhodium is applied to the undercrown surface.

A vehicle internal combustion piston and method of construction thereof are provided. The piston includes piston body extending along a central longitudinal axis, having an upper combustion wall forming an upper combustion surface and an undercrown surface opposite the upper combustion surface. An annular ring belt region depends from the upper combustion surface, a pair of skirt panels depend from the ring belt region, and a pair of pin bosses depend from the undercrown surface to provide laterally spaced pin bores aligned along a pin bore axis for receipt of a wrist pin. The undercrown surface forms a central undercrown region, and a portion of either an open outer cooling gallery, a sealed outer cooling gallery, or an outer galleryless region. A coating comprising a base layer including nickel and a catalyst layer including rhodium is applied to the undercrown surface.

The invention relates to an at least partly stratified (such as at least partly dual stratified) charge combustion engine, especially CAI (combustion assisted ignition), HCC, HCSI and HCCI engine, in which the combustion of a hydrocarbon containing fuel generating a flame emitting photon is operated in a chamber with a wall provided with a cerium oxide-carbon containing coating, said coating further comprising at least comprising oxides of the followings elements Pr, Nd, La and at least Y and/or Zr. The engine of the invention enables a catalytic reduction of NOx exhaust rate.

The invention relates to an at least partly stratified (such as at least partly dual stratified) charge combustion engine, especially CAI (combustion assisted ignition), HCC, HCSI and HCCI engine, in which the combustion of a hydrocarbon containing fuel generating a flame emitting photon is operated in a chamber with a wall provided with a cerium oxide-carbon containing coating, said coating further comprising at least comprising oxides of the followings elements Pr, Nd, La and at least Y and/or Zr. The engine of the invention enables a catalytic reduction of NOx exhaust rate.

An internal combustion engine includes a combustion chamber. The chamber includes a body that is movable in the chamber to vary the chamber volume and contains a catalyst. First valving is operable to admit an intake gas into the chamber and second valving connected with an aqueous fluid supply system is operable to admit an aqueous fluid and a steam reforming fuel into the chamber. A controller is configured to cause the second valving to admit a aqueous fluid and an amount of the steam reforming fuel into the chamber and when a predetermined condition exists in the chamber during compression of the intake gas to absorb heat generated by the compression of the intake gas in the presence of the catalyst to promote a steam reformation process to separate hydrogen from the steam reforming fuel or the aqueous fluid.

An internal combustion engine includes a combustion chamber. The chamber includes a body that is movable in the chamber to vary the chamber volume and contains a catalyst. First valving is operable to admit an intake gas into the chamber and second valving connected with an aqueous fluid supply system is operable to admit an aqueous fluid and a steam reforming fuel into the chamber. A controller is configured to cause the second valving to admit a aqueous fluid and an amount of the steam reforming fuel into the chamber and when a predetermined condition exists in the chamber during compression of the intake gas to absorb heat generated by the compression of the intake gas in the presence of the catalyst to promote a steam reformation process to separate hydrogen from the steam reforming fuel or the aqueous fluid.

A split cycle internal combustion engine includes a combustion cylinder accommodating a combustion piston and a compression cylinder accommodating a compression piston. The engine also includes a controller arranged to receive an indication of a parameter associated with the combustion cylinder and/or a fluid associated therewith and to control an exhaust valve of the combustion cylinder in dependence on the indicated parameter to cause the exhaust valve to close during the return stroke of the combustion piston, before the combustion piston has reached its top dead centre position (TDC), when the indicated parameter is less than a target value for the parameter; and close on completion of the return stroke of the combustion piston, as the combustion piston reaches its top dead centre position (TDC), when the indicated parameter is equal to or greater than the target value for the parameter.

An internal combustion engine in which when the gas temperature of a fuel reformation chamber when a piston in a fuel reformation cylinder reaches the compression top dead point is estimated to be equal to or higher than a soot generation lower limit temperature set according to an equivalence ratio of the fuel reformation chamber, a reaction gas temperature adjusting operation for suppressing or reducing an increase in the reaction gas temperature in the fuel reformation chamber is executed. Further, a closing timing of an air-intake valve is changed to reduce an effective compression ratio of the fuel reformation chamber.

An internal combustion engine in which when the gas temperature of a fuel reformation chamber when a piston in a fuel reformation cylinder reaches the compression top dead point is estimated to be equal to or higher than a soot generation lower limit temperature set according to an equivalence ratio of the fuel reformation chamber, a reaction gas temperature adjusting operation for suppressing or reducing an increase in the reaction gas temperature in the fuel reformation chamber is executed. Further, a closing timing of an air-intake valve is changed to reduce an effective compression ratio of the fuel reformation chamber.