There is disclosed an igniter for a gas turbine engine including: a base; a glow plug heater rod extending from the base along an axis and terminating in a rod end; and a fuel receiver adjacent the heater rod, the fuel receiver including a portion located closest to the heater rod, the rod end protruding axially relative to the axis from the fuel receiver portion located closest to the heater rod.

Provided are a motor capable of forcibly rotating an engine when the engine is started; and an electric supercharger disposed in an intake passage and driven by electric energy. When the engine is started in a state that a temperature inside a cylinder is equal to or higher than a predetermined first reference temperature, the electric supercharger is driven after an assist motor is driven. When the engine is started in a state that a temperature inside the cylinder is lower than the first reference temperature, the assist motor is driven after the electric supercharger is driven.

Provided are a motor capable of forcibly rotating an engine when the engine is started; and an electric supercharger disposed in an intake passage and driven by electric energy. When the engine is started in a state that a temperature inside a cylinder is equal to or higher than a predetermined first reference temperature, the electric supercharger is driven after an assist motor is driven. When the engine is started in a state that a temperature inside the cylinder is lower than the first reference temperature, the assist motor is driven after the electric supercharger is driven.

An auxiliary heating system comprising interconnected piping which forms a closed fluid flow circuit for permitting a passage of coolant therein, and having formed chamber openings along a length thereof to receive at least one heating element which projects into the closed fluid flow circuit to be in direct contact with, and heat, the coolant. A pump is provided for circulating the coolant, along with a flow switch for monitoring flow of the coolant through the closed fluid flow circuit, wherein if the flow has ceased through the closed fluid flow circuit, the flow switch instructs the system to deactivate the heating elements.

A method for detecting glow plug replacement or an aging glow plug. The glow plugs are heated and monitored. When a threshold value is reached for a first glow plug, a first value of a temperature-dependent variable is measured for all other glow plugs and is stored as reference values associated with the first glow plug. This process is repeated until reference values associated with each glow plug have been determined and stored for each glow plug. The process is repeated to determine a set of comparative values. The comparative values are compared with the reference values. A deviation of a comparative from a reference value of less than a specified tolerance value is considered an agreement. The inventive process concludes which of the glow plugs of the engine are unaltered and which have a resistance-temperature characteristic that has been altered to an extent indicating replacement, aging or a defect.

An engine includes: an NOx catalyst and an SCR catalyst in an exhaust passage; an excess air ratio change device that changes an excess air ratio of an exhaust gas; and a reducing agent supply device that supplies a reducing agent for SCR including a material for NH.sub.3 or NH.sub.3 to a portion between the NOx catalyst and the SCR catalyst in the exhaust passages. The engine controls the reducing agent supply device in such a manner that a quantity of the reducing agent for SCR to be supplied from the reducing agent supply device to the exhaust passage 40 becomes small when the excess air ratio of the exhaust gas during regeneration control to regenerate the NOx catalyst is small, as compared to when the excess air ratio of the exhaust gas during regeneration control to regenerate the NOx catalyst is large.

A compressed self-ignition type internal combustion engine includes a fuel injection nozzle provided such that a plurality of injection holes are exposed from a cylinder head of the internal combustion engine to a combustion chamber, and a plurality of hollow ducts configured such that an inlet and an outlet are exposed to the combustion chamber. The plurality of ducts are configured such that each fuel spray injected from the plurality of injection holes of the fuel injection nozzle passes from the inlet to the outlet. The internal combustion engine includes a heating device for heating at least one of the plurality of ducts.

A compressed self-ignition type internal combustion engine includes a fuel injection nozzle provided such that a plurality of injection holes are exposed from a cylinder head of the internal combustion engine to a combustion chamber, and a plurality of hollow ducts configured such that an inlet and an outlet are exposed to the combustion chamber. The plurality of ducts are configured such that each fuel spray injected from the plurality of injection holes of the fuel injection nozzle passes from the inlet to the outlet. The internal combustion engine includes a heating device for heating at least one of the plurality of ducts.

A method for regulating the surface temperature of a glow plug is described, wherein the electrical resistance of the glow plug is continuously measured and used to regulate the surface temperature of the glow plug to a target temperature or a target resistance corresponding to the target temperature by means of a resistance temperature characteristic. According to this disclosure, it is provided that the resistance temperature characteristic used for the temperature regulation is adjusted as a function of the present motor operating state.

An auxiliary heating system comprising interconnected piping which forms a closed fluid flow circuit for permitting a passage of coolant therein, and having formed chamber openings along a length thereof to receive at least one heating element which projects into the closed fluid flow circuit to be in direct contact with, and heat, the coolant. A pump is provided for circulating the coolant, along with a flow switch for monitoring flow of the coolant through the closed fluid flow circuit, wherein if the flow has ceased through the closed fluid flow circuit, the flow switch instructs the system to deactivate the heating elements.