An apparatus and method for igniting a gaseous fuel directly introduced into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine comprises steps of heating a space near a fuel injector nozzle; introducing a pilot amount of the gaseous fuel in the combustion chamber during a first stage injection event; controlling residency of the pilot amount in the space such that a temperature of the pilot amount increases to an auto-ignition temperature of the gaseous fuel whereby ignition occurs; introducing a main amount of the gaseous fuel during a second stage injection event after the first stage injection event; and using heat from combustion of the pilot amount to ignite the main amount.

A technique for providing electric power to an electric power utility grid includes driving an electric power alternator coupled to the grid with a spark-ignited or direct injection internal combustion engine; detecting a change in electrical loading of the alternator; in response to the change, adjusting parameters of the engine and/or generator to adjust power provided by the engine. In one further forms of this technique, the adjusting of parameters for the engine includes retarding spark timing and/or interrupting the spark ignition; reducing or retarding direct injection timing or fuel amount and/or interrupting the direct injection; and/or the adjusting of parameters for the generator including increasing the field of the alternator or adding an electrical load.

A technique for providing electric power to an electric power utility grid includes driving an electric power alternator coupled to the grid with a spark-ignited or direct injection internal combustion engine; detecting a change in electrical loading of the alternator; in response to the change, adjusting parameters of the engine and/or generator to adjust power provided by the engine. In one further forms of this technique, the adjusting of parameters for the engine includes retarding spark timing and/or interrupting the spark ignition; reducing or retarding direct injection timing or fuel amount and/or interrupting the direct injection; and/or the adjusting of parameters for the generator including increasing the field of the alternator or adding an electrical load.

A fuel injection control device which is provided with an input terminal to which a first pulse signal for driving a liquid fuel injection valve is input and an output terminal from which the first pulse signal is output, and converts the first pulse signal which is input from the input terminal to a second pulse signal for driving a gaseous fuel injection valve, includes: a P-channel field-effect transistor interposed in a wiring which connects the input terminal and the output terminal; a switching control section which performs switching control between an ON state and an OFF state of the field-effect transistor; and a gate drive circuit which maintains the field-effect transistor in the ON state in a case where power supply to the switching control section is not performed.

A system for supplementing a fixed fuel source for an engine includes a motor-generator set connected to a mechanical load device and a controller. The motor-generator set includes a motor and a generator. The engine is configured to provide a first torque from a fixed fuel source from an independent variable flow input. The fixed fuel source is independent of the engine and set external to the engine. The mechanical load device is driven by the engine and configured to require a second torque defined by an independent flow device. The controller is configured to compare the first torque and the second torque, provide a first control signal to the motor to provide power to the engine when the second torque exceeds the first torque and provide a second control signal to the generator to draw power from the engine when the first torque exceeds the second torque.

A method for operating a spark ignited gaseous fuel internal combustion engine is disclosed. The engine may have at least one main combustion chamber and at least one ignition device configured to initiate an ignition event within an ignition region. The method may include supplying pressurized fuel to the ignition region at times between about 30° to about 0° crank angle before the ignition event is initiated by the ignition device for enriching the ignition region with fuel. The method may also include initiating an ignition event in the ignition region for combusting an enriched air/fuel mixture within the ignition region.

The invention relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine comprising: determining a first set point value of a volume of air to be taken into the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine within one working cycle thereof by retrieving the first set point value from a first characteristic map stored in a memory device of an electronic computing device as a function of a current engine speed of the internal combustion engine and as a function of a torque to be provided by the internal combustion engine; and determining a second set point value by retrieving the second set point value from a second characteristic map stored in the memory device of the electronic computing device as a function of a current engine speed of the internal combustion engine and as a function of a current volume of air supplied to the combustion chamber.

In particular embodiments, a starting device for a gas internal combustion engine whereby non-combusted gas accumulating in the gas internal combustion engine and an exhaust channel is discharged during ignition startup of the gas engine and abnormal combustion is reduced in the occurrence so as to improve safety, breakage prevention, durability and reliability. An exhaust purge device for a gas internal combustion engine 1, which operates using flammable gas as fuel, includes an exhaust channel 16 forming an exhaust channel of the gas internal combustion engine 1, a blast pipe 71 connected to an upstream portion of the exhaust pipe at a first end, an exhaust purge fan 7 connected to a second end of the blast pipe 71 and configured to send ambient air to the exhaust channel 16, and a control device 2 for performing a control to drive the exhaust purge fan 7.

An internal combustion engine, a method of operating the internal combustion engine, and a controller are disclosed. The method may comprise measuring a first pressure at a first position in a fluid line containing pressurized fluid; comparing the first pressure to a first threshold; in response to the first pressure exceeding the first threshold, transmitting a signal to depressurize the fluid line; after transmitting the signal to depressurize the fluid line, measuring a second pressure in the fluid line and comparing the second pressure to at least one of a second threshold and a third threshold, the second threshold being greater than the third threshold and less than the first threshold; and in response to the second pressure being less than the second threshold and exceeding the third threshold, transmitting another signal to depressurize the fluid line.

In high horse power engines there are strict energy budgets allotted for each subsystem. It is a challenge for a gaseous fuel pumping system to supply the necessary gaseous fuel mass flow to the engine while staying within budget. A method for pressurizing a gaseous fuel supplied to an engine comprises providing first and second hydraulically actuated pumping apparatus comprising first and second shuttle valves in first and second hydraulic pistons respectively; and selectively communicating hydraulic fluid flow to the first and second hydraulically actuated pumping apparatuses. In a first mode hydraulic fluid is communicated through the first hydraulically actuated pumping apparatus to the second hydraulically actuated pumping apparatus. In a second mode hydraulic fluid is communicated through the second hydraulically actuated pumping apparatus to the first hydraulically actuated pumping apparatus. The method switches between the first and second modes when a pressure drop in hydraulic fluid pressure associated with the hydraulic fluid flowing through the first and second shuttle valves is detected.