The invention proposes a method and an emulsifying apparatus for the operation of a diesel engine with a water-diesel fuel emulsion, wherein the water fraction is varied as a function of the engine operating point and/or the emulsifying apparatus and/or parts of the injection line are flushed with pure diesel fuel upon a shutdown of the engine.

Methods and systems are provided for synergizing the benefits of engine water injection in a hybrid vehicle system. During engine operation, in response to a change in driver demand, the controller may opt to switch between water injection states while using stored power assist. The selection may be based on the combination of water injection and stored power offset that provides the highest engine efficiency.

Methods and systems are providing for improving zero flow lubrication (ZFL) of a high pressure fuel pump coupled to direct fuel injectors via a direct injection fuel rail. A ZFL transfer function for the fuel pump is learned while fuel is at non-nominal fuel bulk modulus conditions and corrected for variations from a nominal fuel bulk modulus estimate. When zero flow lubrication of the pump is requested, the pump is operated with a duty cycle based on the learned transfer function and an instantaneous estimate of the fuel bulk modulus to compensate for differences in fuel condition from the nominal fuel bulk modulus estimate.

An internal combustion engine comprises an engine block defining a cylinder having a longitudinal axis A. A piston is arranged slidably within the cylinder and an impeller is arranged at one end of the cylinder. The impeller is rotatably mounted on a shaft, which extends out of the cylinder and which is driven in rotation by rotation of the impeller. The engine further comprises an anti-rotation formation to prevent the piston rotating about a longitudinal axis of the cylinder and a swirl-inducing vane arranged on the face of the piston which faces the end of the cylinder at which the impeller is arranged. Combustion gas generated by combustion of a fuel in the cylinder between the piston and the impeller is caused to swirl by reaction with the swirl-inducing vane and the swirling combustion gases, in turn, cause the impeller to rotate.

An apparatus comprises an internal combustion engine including an intake stream, at least one piston cylinder. An air assisted injector is configured to insert a plurality of liquid droplets into the intake stream or cylinder. The injector comprises a gas injection portion configured to deliver a gas to a mixing chamber at a first pressure and a first pulse width. A liquid injection portion is configured to deliver a liquid to the mixing chamber at a first temperature and a second pulse width, and after a predetermined delay relative to the gas so as to generate the plurality of liquid droplets having a mean diameter of up to 5 microns. A nozzle is configured to deliver the plurality of liquid droplets into the intake chamber or cylinder. The gas and the inserted liquid droplets are compressed during a compression stroke in the cylinder and fully vaporize throughout the compression stroke.

A system includes an emulsification device, a processed fuel tank, an emulsification recirculation line, and a control module. The emulsification device is configured to selectively receive a liquid mixture of water and hydrocarbon fuel and produce batches of emulsified fuel. The processed fuel tank is configured to selectively receive and store the emulsified fuel. The control module is configured to monitor one or more operating parameters and execute one or more operating modes. The operating modes include a bypass mode configured to provide the engine with the hydrocarbon fuel, an emulsification recirculation mode configured to continually recirculate emulsified fuel through the emulsification device and the processed fuel tank via the emulsification recirculation line, a run mode configured to operate the engine with emulsified fuel, and a suck back mode configured to return semi-stable emulsified fuel back to the processed fuel tank.

Methods and systems are providing for improving zero flow lubrication (ZFL) of a high pressure fuel pump coupled to direct fuel injectors via a direct injection fuel rail. A ZFL transfer function for the fuel pump is learned while fuel is at non-nominal fuel bulk modulus conditions and corrected for variations from a nominal fuel bulk modulus estimate. When zero flow lubrication of the pump is requested, the pump is operated with a duty cycle based on the learned transfer function and an instantaneous estimate of the fuel bulk modulus to compensate for differences in fuel condition from the nominal fuel bulk modulus estimate.

A method and an apparatus for controlling an electric pump for furnishing water for injection into a combustion chamber of an engine are provided. The electric pump is connected to an inflow of a main water tank and has a high-pressure output at which the electric pump makes available water at a pressure elevated with respect to a pressure in the main water tank. The high-pressure output of the electric pump is connected to a return line that opens into a driving jet connector of a suction jet pump, a suction jet connector of the suction jet pump being connected to a further water tank, and a high-pressure output of the suction jet pump being connected to the main water tank.

Methods and systems are provided for accurately determining the composition of a knock control fluid using sensors already present in the engine system. An intake or an exhaust oxygen sensor is used to estimate the water and the alcohol content of a knock control fluid that is direct injected into an engine cylinder responsive to an indication of abnormal combustion. A change in the pumping current of the oxygen sensor due to the water content of the knock control fluid is distinguished from a change in the pumping current of the oxygen sensor due to the alcohol content of the knock control fluid.

Techniques, systems, and devices are disclosed for converting an alcohol and water mixture to hydrogen-rich gas inside a gasoline engine to power the gasoline engine vehicle. In one aspect of the disclosed technology, an electronic control module installed on a gasoline engine vehicle for controlling the gasoline engine vehicle to run on an alcohol and water mixture as fuel is disclosure. This electronic control module includes a processor, a memory, and an interface coupled to the ECU of the gasoline engine vehicle to receive various sensor signals from the ECU. The electronic control module also includes interconnects coupled to various modules of the gasoline engine vehicle to control a process of running the vehicle on the alcohol and water mixture stored in the gasoline tank of the vehicle. The said process includes converting catalyzed alcohol and water mixture to a hydrogen-rich gas inside a cylinder of the gasoline engine.