A fuel injector mounting assembly in an opposed-piston engine allows for mounting of a fuel injector in a cylinder block without significantly deforming the wall of the cylinder into which the injector is configured to deliver fuel. The fuel injector mounting assembly includes a clamping arrangement to clamp the fuel injector to the cylinder block, an elongate tubular sleeve that sheathes a nozzle portion of the fuel injector, and a spanner nut attached to the elongate tubular sleeve. Clamping loads applied to retain the fuel injector in the cylinder block are controlled by the spanner nut.

In one aspect, an engine ignition apparatus for a natural gas engine may include a housing including a drive piston, a floating piston, a controllable hydraulic fluid chamber located between the drive piston and the floating piston, and an ignition chamber acted on by the floating piston, the ignition chamber having an outlet formed by a plurality of orifices, the outlet being in direct communication with a combustion chamber of the engine. In another aspect, an engine ignition apparatus for a natural gas engine may include, among other features, a controllable valve connected to a hydraulic fluid chamber, and configured to open and release a hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic fluid chamber, and to close. In still another aspect, a method for controlling an engine ignition apparatus for an engine includes, among other features, controlling a volume of a hydraulic fluid chamber of an ignition apparatus.

In certain embodiments, Lube Oil Controlled Ignition (LOCI) Engine Combustion overcomes the drawbacks of known combustion technologies. First, lubricating oil is already part of any combustion engine; hence, there is no need to carry a secondary fuel and to have to depend on an additional fuel system as in the case of dual-fuel technologies. Second, the ignition and the start of combustion rely on the controlled autoignition of the lubricating oil preventing the occurrence of abnormal combustion as experienced with the Spark Ignition technology. Third, LOCI combustion is characterized by the traveling of a premixed flame; hence, it has a controllable duration resulting in a wide engine load-speed window unlike the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition technology where the engine load-speed window is narrow. Adaptive Intake Valve Closure may be used to control in-cylinder compression temperature to be high enough to realize the consistent auto ignition of the lubricating oil mist.

A method for operating an internal combustion engine including a step of concurrently introducing at least two combustible fuel jets into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. A first combustible fuel jet of the at least two combustible fuel jets is ignited at an ignition time point. In a first operating mode of the internal combustion engine a second combustible fuel jet which is different from the first combustible fuel jet of the at least two combustible fuel jets is ignited after the ignition time point.

In certain embodiments, Lube Oil Controlled Ignition (LOCI) Engine Combustion overcomes the drawbacks of known combustion technologies. First, lubricating oil is already part of any combustion engine; hence, there is no need to carry a secondary fuel and to have to depend on an additional fuel system as in the case of dual-fuel technologies. Second, the ignition and the start of combustion rely on the controlled autoignition of the lubricating oil preventing the occurrence of abnormal combustion as experienced with the Spark Ignition technology. Third, LOCI combustion is characterized by the traveling of a premixed flame; hence, it has a controllable duration resulting in a wide engine load-speed window unlike the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition technology where the engine load-speed window is narrow. Adaptive Intake Valve Closure may be used to control in-cylinder compression temperature to be high enough to realize the consistent auto ignition of the lubricating oil mist.

A diesel engine system has a piston in which a cavity is formed in a crown surface. The cavity has a bottom part, a peripheral part dented so as to be convex radially outward in a cross-sectional view, and a lip part formed above the peripheral part and protruding so as to be convex radially inward in the cross-sectional view. An injection controller causes an injector to perform, during operation in a given operating range, a main injection in which injected fuel is directed to the lip part, and an after-injection in which a smaller amount of fuel than the main injection is injected at a given period later than the main injection in an expansion stroke. An injection interval period that is a period of time from an end of the main injection to a start of the after-injection is shorter as an injection pressure of fuel increases.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to internal combustion engines, combustion systems that include such internal combustion engines, and controls for controlling operation of the combustion engine. The internal combustion engine may include one or more mechanisms for injecting fuel, air, fuel-air mixture, or combinations thereof directly into one or more cylinders, and controls may operate or direct operation of such mechanisms.

In certain embodiments, Lube Oil Controlled Ignition (LOCI) Engine Combustion overcomes the drawbacks of known combustion technologies. First, lubricating oil is already part of any combustion engine; hence, there is no need to carry a secondary fuel and to have to depend on an additional fuel system as in the case of dual-fuel technologies. Second, the ignition and the start of combustion rely on the controlled autoignition of the lubricating oil preventing the occurrence of abnormal combustion as experienced with the Spark Ignition technology. Third, LOCI combustion is characterized by the traveling of a premixed flame; hence, it has a controllable duration resulting in a wide engine load-speed window unlike the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition technology where the engine load-speed window is narrow. Adaptive Intake Valve Closure may be used to control in-cylinder compression temperature to be high enough to realize the consistent auto ignition of the lubricating oil mist.

In certain embodiments, Lube Oil Controlled Ignition (LOCI) Engine Combustion overcomes the drawbacks of known combustion technologies. First, lubricating oil is already part of any combustion engine; hence, there is no need to carry a secondary fuel and to have to depend on an additional fuel system as in the case of dual-fuel technologies. Second, the ignition and the start of combustion rely on the controlled autoignition of the lubricating oil preventing the occurrence of abnormal combustion as experienced with the Spark Ignition technology. Third, LOCI combustion is characterized by the traveling of a premixed flame; hence, it has a controllable duration resulting in a wide engine load-speed window unlike the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition technology where the engine load-speed window is narrow. Adaptive Intake Valve Closure may be used to control in-cylinder compression temperature to be high enough to realize the consistent auto ignition of the lubricating oil mist.

The disclosure relates to a method for controlling compression ignition combustion phasing in an internal combustion engine, the method comprising providing a high heat of vaporization fuel charge, the high heat of vaporization fuel charge having a latent heat of vaporization; and directly injecting a spray of the fuel charge into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine during the intake stroke, the internal combustion engine having a gas exchange stage and a combustion stage, the injecting from a single injector and occurring at least immediately after Top Dead Center during the gas exchange stage.