Method of controlling the temperature of fuel injected into a combustion engine to enable a reduction in the amount of fuel injected into engines which may be powered both by pure gasoline and by ethanol or by any biofuel mixture.

It is widely appreciated that renewable sources of energy are desirable. In particular, in recent years the development of biodiesel has been encouraged in order to find a replacement for fossil fuels in internal combustion engines. Typically, such biodiesel is based on triacylglycerols of vegetable origin. Animal fat, due to its different chemical composition and production process presents additional challenges when attempted to be used as a source of fuel. Most known methods require extensive processing of naturally occurring fats in order for them to be usable in conventional engines. According to the present invention, there is provided a method of oxidizing organic fats within an internal combustion engine to generate power by applying a first electrical charge to an oxidizer (e.g. air) and applying a second electrical charge to the organic fat opposite in polarity to the first electrical charge. In this way, constituents of the organic fat to be oxidized are attracted to the oxidizer, in preference to an interior surface of the combustion chamber. Thus, carbonization of the interior surface of the combustion chamber is reduced, as material contributing to carbonization is retained within exhaust gas.

It is widely appreciated that renewable sources of energy are desirable. In particular, in recent years the development of biodiesel has been encouraged in order to find a replacement for fossil fuels in internal combustion engines. Typically, such biodiesel is based on triacylglycerols of vegetable origin. Animal fat, due to its different chemical composition and production process presents additional challenges when attempted to be used as a source of fuel. Most known methods require extensive processing of naturally occurring fats in order for them to be usable in conventional engines. According to the present invention, there is provided a method of oxidizing organic fats within an internal combustion engine to generate power by applying a first electrical charge to an oxidizer (e.g. air) and applying a second electrical charge to the organic fat opposite in polarity to the first electrical charge. In this way, constituents of the organic fat to be oxidized are attracted to the oxidizer, in preference to an interior surface of the combustion chamber. Thus, carbonization of the interior surface of the combustion chamber is reduced, as material contributing to carbonization is retained within exhaust gas.

A fuel injection device comprising an interface member, a fuel distributor passage, at least one injection valve and a heating unit, wherein the interface member is provided on the fuel distributor passage and is connected to a fuel tank to control fuel fed into the fuel distributor passage, the at least one injection valve is connected to the fuel distributor passage, and the fuel is distributed into the at least one injection valve via the fuel distributor passage, the heating unit is used to heat the fuel in the fuel distributor passage, the heating unit comprises a connector, and the heating unit is connected to an energy storage apparatus via the connector.

A rotary engine includes an insert having a pilot subchamber defined therein and communicating with the internal cavity of the engine. A pilot fuel injector has a tip in communication with the pilot subchamber. An ignition element extends into an element cavity defined through the insert adjacent the pilot subchamber. The element cavity is in communication with the pilot subchamber through a communication opening defined in the insert between the element cavity and the pilot subchamber. The communication opening is smaller than a portion of the ignition element adjacent the communication opening such as to prevent the portion of the ignition element from completely passing through the communication opening upon breaking off of the portion of the ignition element from a remainder of the ignition element. An outer body for a rotary engine and a method of combusting fuel in a rotary engine are also provided.

A rotary engine includes an insert having a pilot subchamber defined therein and communicating with the internal cavity of the engine. A pilot fuel injector has a tip in communication with the pilot subchamber. An ignition element extends into an element cavity defined through the insert adjacent the pilot subchamber. The element cavity is in communication with the pilot subchamber through a communication opening defined in the insert between the element cavity and the pilot subchamber. The communication opening is smaller than a portion of the ignition element adjacent the communication opening such as to prevent the portion of the ignition element from completely passing through the communication opening upon breaking off of the portion of the ignition element from a remainder of the ignition element. An outer body for a rotary engine and a method of combusting fuel in a rotary engine are also provided.

A method, and associated device, for controlling a module for heating a plurality of fuel injectors of an engine of a vehicle, the heating module including a plurality of electromagnetic induction elements each connected to an injector of the plurality of fuel injectors and being configured, when an electric excitation current passes through the electromagnetic induction elements, to heat the injector by induction, the method including a step of generating an electric supply current and a step of generating, from the electric supply current, a plurality of electric excitation currents phase shifted relative to one another and materialized by electric excitation current signals, each of the electric excitation currents intended to supply one of the electromagnetic induction elements. The method being notable in that the electric excitation current signals are phase shifted such that the sum of the absolute values of the amplitudes of the signals is constant.

A method, and associated device, for controlling a module for heating a plurality of fuel injectors of an engine of a vehicle, the heating module including a plurality of electromagnetic induction elements each connected to an injector of the plurality of fuel injectors and being configured, when an electric excitation current passes through the electromagnetic induction elements, to heat the injector by induction, the method including a step of generating an electric supply current and a step of generating, from the electric supply current, a plurality of electric excitation currents phase shifted relative to one another and materialized by electric excitation current signals, each of the electric excitation currents intended to supply one of the electromagnetic induction elements. The method being notable in that the electric excitation current signals are phase shifted such that the sum of the absolute values of the amplitudes of the signals is constant.

Method to control the combustion of a compression ignition engine with reactivity control through the injection temperature; the control method provides for the steps of: establishing a quantity of fuel to be injected into a cylinder; injecting a first fraction of the quantity of fuel fed by a first feed system without active heating devices, preferably equal to at least 70% of the quantity of fuel, at least partially during the intake and/or compression stroke; injecting a second fraction of the quantity of fuel fed by a second feed system provided with at least one active heating device, and equal to the remaining fraction of the quantity of fuel, into the cylinder at the end of the compression stroke and preferably at no more than 60 from the top dead center; and heating the second fraction of the quantity of fuel to an injection temperature of over 100 C., before injecting the second fraction of the quantity of fuel.

Method to control the combustion of a compression ignition engine with reactivity control through the injection temperature; the control method provides for the steps of: establishing a quantity of fuel to be injected into a cylinder; injecting a first fraction of the quantity of fuel fed by a first feed system without active heating devices, preferably equal to at least 70% of the quantity of fuel, at least partially during the intake and/or compression stroke; injecting a second fraction of the quantity of fuel fed by a second feed system provided with at least one active heating device, and equal to the remaining fraction of the quantity of fuel, into the cylinder at the end of the compression stroke and preferably at no more than 60 from the top dead center; and heating the second fraction of the quantity of fuel to an injection temperature of over 100 C., before injecting the second fraction of the quantity of fuel.