An internal combustion engine assembly is provided with a fuel tank for fuel including ethanol, and a reformer for steam reforming of ethanol that is with an outlet connected to a buffer tank. A first reformer supply duct extends from the fuel tank to the reformer via a fuel evaporator that is in heat exchanging contact with the exhaust gases, for supplying ethanol vapor to the reformer. A second reformer supply duct extends from a water reservoir to the reformer via a water evaporator that is in heat exchanging contact with the exhaust gases. The reformer is in heat exchanging contact with the catalytic converter and is adapted for reforming ethanol and water into syngas including carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and for supplying the syngas via the outlet to the buffer tank. The reformer and the catalytic converter may form an integrated unit.

Some embodiments described herein relate to a method of operating a compression ignition engine. The method of operating the compression ignition engine includes opening an intake valve to draw a volume of air into a combustion chamber, closing an intake valve, and moving a piston from a bottom-dead-center (BDC) position to a top-dead-center (TDC) position in the combustion chamber at a compression ratio of at least about 15:1. The method further includes injecting a volume of fuel into the combustion chamber at an engine crank angle between about 330 degrees and about 365 degrees during a first time period. The fuel has a cetane number less than about 40. The method further includes combusting substantially all of the volume of fuel. In some embodiments, a delay between injecting the volume of fuel into the combustion chamber and initiation of combustion is less than about 2 ms.

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for increasing the level of hydrogen produced in an exhaust gas recirculation pathway within an internal combustion engine. A hydrocarbon water gas shift reformer is positioned in series with a water gas shift reformer within the exhaust gas recirculation pathway to improve the yield of hydrogen and to improve the relative efficiency of both catalytic procedures.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an engine with reforming cylinders which are fuel reforming devices capable of supplying a reformed fuel according to the outputs of outputting cylinders. The engine is provided with the outputting cylinders for burning the fuel and the reforming cylinders which are the fuel reforming devices for reforming the fuel through the reciprocating motions of pistons. The amount of reformed fuel supplied to all the outputting cylinders is changed according to the outputs of the outputting cylinders while maintaining the amount of supplied fuel and the amount of suctioned gas, which are supplied into one reforming cylinder.

A fuel injector tip for a fuel injector. The fuel injector tip includes an inner tip surface and an outer tip surface that is opposite to the inner tip surface. At least one orifice extends through the fuel injector tip from the inner tip surface to the outer tip surface, and is configured to atomize fuel flowing therethrough to generate a fuel mist. The fuel injector tip is three-dimensionally printed.

A fuel reformer for a vehicle engine may include a housing including an inlet at a first end and an outlet at a second end of the housing through which exhaust gas flows, a reforming catalyst disposed between the inlet and the outlet to reform exhaust gas, a mixing chamber providing a space for mixing fluid between the inlet and the reforming catalyst, a fuel injector injecting a same fuel to be supplied to the engine into the mixing chamber, and an air injector coupled to the housing to supply air into the mixing chamber.

A fuel reformer for a vehicle engine may include a housing including an inlet at a first end and an outlet at a second end of the housing through which exhaust gas flows, a reforming catalyst disposed between the inlet and the outlet to reform exhaust gas, a mixing chamber providing a space for mixing fluid between the inlet and the reforming catalyst, a fuel injector injecting a same fuel to be supplied to the engine into the mixing chamber, and an air injector coupled to the housing to supply air into the mixing chamber.

Some embodiments described herein relate to a method of operating a compression ignition engine. The method of operating the compression ignition engine includes opening an intake valve to draw a volume of air into a combustion chamber, closing an intake valve, and moving a piston from a bottom-dead-center (BDC) position to a top-dead-center (TDC) position in the combustion chamber at a compression ratio of at least about 15:1. The method further includes injecting a volume of fuel into the combustion chamber at an engine crank angle between about 330 degrees and about 365 degrees during a first time period. The fuel has a cetane number less than about 40. The method further includes combusting substantially all of the volume of fuel. In some embodiments, a delay between injecting the volume of fuel into the combustion chamber and initiation of combustion is less than about 2 ms.

The disclosure relates to a fuel supply device for supplying a fuel to an internal combustion engine comprising: a fuel store for storing a primary fuel; and at least two parallel fuel supply paths that are connected to the fuel store, on the one hand, and to the internal combustion engine, on the other hand, wherein the primary fuel can be supplied from the fuel store to the internal combustion engine by means of the first fuel supply path for the purpose of combustion, and the second fuel supply path has at least one reforming device that reforms the primary fuel supplied from the fuel tank into a secondary fuel, and to supply at least a portion of the produced secondary fuel to the internal combustion engine for the purpose of combustion.

The disclosure relates to a fuel supply device for supplying a fuel to an internal combustion engine comprising: a fuel store for storing a primary fuel; and at least two parallel fuel supply paths that are connected to the fuel store, on the one hand, and to the internal combustion engine, on the other hand, wherein the primary fuel can be supplied from the fuel store to the internal combustion engine by means of the first fuel supply path for the purpose of combustion, and the second fuel supply path has at least one reforming device that reforms the primary fuel supplied from the fuel tank into a secondary fuel, and to supply at least a portion of the produced secondary fuel to the internal combustion engine for the purpose of combustion.