Timing of HHO gas injection into a 4-stroke engine is optimized based on engine operating parameters to improve fuel economy.

An internal combustion engine for use with hydrogen fuel includes at least one cylinder assembly including a combustion chamber, a cylinder, a cylinder head, and a reciprocating piston assembly. Two inlet ports within the cylinder head are selectively closable by a corresponding inlet valve, and at least one outlet port in the head is selectively closable by a corresponding outlet valve. At least one spark plug is mounted to the cylinder head, and the cylinder head comprises a first face and a second face inclined relative to one another and meeting at an apex. The two inlet ports are located within the first face and outlet port is located within the second face. Each inlet port is configured to generate a tumbling motion of the fuel air mixture prior to ignition. The cylinder head is secured by six fasteners, such as six bolts to an engine block defining the cylinder.

An internal combustion engine for use with hydrogen fuel includes at least one cylinder assembly including a combustion chamber, a cylinder, a cylinder head, and a reciprocating piston assembly. Two inlet ports within the cylinder head are selectively closable by a corresponding inlet valve, and at least one outlet port in the head is selectively closable by a corresponding outlet valve. At least one spark plug is mounted to the cylinder head, and the cylinder head comprises a first face and a second face inclined relative to one another and meeting at an apex. The two inlet ports are located within the first face and outlet port is located within the second face. Each inlet port is configured to generate a tumbling motion of the fuel air mixture prior to ignition. The cylinder head is secured by six fasteners, such as six bolts to an engine block defining the cylinder.

In certain implementations, a ship propulsion system includes: at least one internal combustion engine with: a combustion chamber for burning a fuel; an intake tract for supplying fresh air to the combustion chamber; and a turbocharger with a compressor in the in-take tract; an electrolysis device for producing hydrogen gas for the internal combustion engine and for producing oxygen gas; an alcohol tank for supplying alcohols to the internal combustion engine; and a water tank, wherein the water tank and the alcohol tank are connected to the combustion chamber or a pressure side of the compressor for the supply of water and alcohol into the intake tract, and wherein the electrolysis device is connected to the pressure side of the compressor for supplying hydrogen gas into the intake tract or connected to the combustion chamber for supplying hydrogen gas into the combustion chamber.

In certain implementations, a ship propulsion system includes: at least one internal combustion engine with: a combustion chamber for burning a fuel; an intake tract for supplying fresh air to the combustion chamber; and a turbocharger with a compressor in the in-take tract; an electrolysis device for producing hydrogen gas for the internal combustion engine and for producing oxygen gas; an alcohol tank for supplying alcohols to the internal combustion engine; and a water tank, wherein the water tank and the alcohol tank are connected to the combustion chamber or a pressure side of the compressor for the supply of water and alcohol into the intake tract, and wherein the electrolysis device is connected to the pressure side of the compressor for supplying hydrogen gas into the intake tract or connected to the combustion chamber for supplying hydrogen gas into the combustion chamber.

An internal combustion engine has fuel injectors for a first fuel and separate fuel injector-igniters for a second fuel. The first fuel may be a compression-ignition fuel such as diesel fuel while the second fuel is a lower cetane fuel that requires external energy for controlled ignition. For example, the second fuel may be natural gas. Such engines have applications in a wide range of fields, particularly those fields requiring large-displacement slow- and medium-speed engines. Such engines are particularly well adapted for use in railway locomotives. A locomotive equipped with such an engine may operate primarily on natural gas, and thereby take advantage of the significant price difference between natural gas and diesel fuel, while permitting switch over to operation on 100% diesel fuel.

An internal combustion engine has fuel injectors for a first fuel and separate fuel injector-igniters for a second fuel. The first fuel may be a compression-ignition fuel such as diesel fuel while the second fuel is a lower cetane fuel that requires external energy for controlled ignition. For example, the second fuel may be natural gas. Such engines have applications in a wide range of fields, particularly those fields requiring large-displacement slow- and medium-speed engines. Such engines are particularly well adapted for use in railway locomotives. A locomotive equipped with such an engine may operate primarily on natural gas, and thereby take advantage of the significant price difference between natural gas and diesel fuel, while permitting switch over to operation on 100% diesel fuel.

An internal combustion engine comprising: a main combustion chamber comprising at least one intake valve and at least one exhaust valve, wherein at least one intake port fluidically connected to an intake manifold is configured to supply an air and/or an air-fuel-mixture to the main combustion chamber via the at least one intake valve, and a pre-chamber which is in fluid connection with the main combustion chamber, wherein the pre-chamber is in fluid connection with the intake port and/or the intake manifold through a supply line, wherein at least one fuel injector is configured to enrich the air and/or air-fuel-mixture supplied to the main combustion chamber to have a lower ignition delay than an air-fuel-mixture supplied to the pre-chamber and/or air or air-fuel-mixture can be supplied to the pre-chamber to have a higher ignition delay than an air-fuel-mixture supplied to the main combustion 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.

A process for the combined generation of mechanical power and manufacture of hydrocarbons is proposed, wherein in order to generate the mechanical power at least one internal combustion engine (1) is fired up, thereby producing a combustion exhaust gas (c), and in order to produce the hydrocarbons at least one reactor (2) is heated using a fuel (e) and a combustion support gas (d). The invention provides that at least a proportion of the combustion support gas (d) is heated by indirect heat exchange with at least a proportion of the combustion exhaust gas (c) from the internal combustion engine (1). The present invention also relates to a corresponding installation (100, 200).