At least some implementations of a method of distinguishing between two loads being driven by an engine, includes the steps of determining engine speed at defined intervals, comparing a second engine speed against a previously determined first engine speed, determining if the second engine speed fits an expected pattern of engine speeds, and counting either the number of incidents where the second engine speed does not fit the expected pattern, or the number of incidents where the second engine speed does fit the expected pattern, or some combination of these two. A method of determining if an engine is operating at least near a lean limit of its air to fuel ratio is also disclosed.

To improve responsiveness of fuel supply control, a rotary carburetor 100 has a nozzle 8 including a fuel discharge port 8a and a needle 10 disposed coaxially with the nozzle 8 and disposed with a portion inserted into the nozzle 8. The needle 10 can be displaced relative to the nozzle 8 to change an effective area of the fuel discharge port 8a. The rotary carburetor 100 has an electric motor 14 for displacing the needle 10 along an axis, and a drive mechanism component 12 interposed between the electric motor 14 and the needle 10 and converting a rotational movement of the electric motor into a linear movement.

A system for combusting volatile vapors includes a carburetor having intake valves for receiving base fuel from a fuel source, ambient combustion air, and volatile vapors from a vapor source. A plurality of sensors measure and generate sensor data based on a respective plurality of physical properties associated with the carburetor and associate combustion engine operation. One or more programmable controllers receive the sensor data and control the intake valves to regulate respective ratios of the fuel, air, volatile vapors drawn through the carburetor based on the received sensor data. To increase the burn of volatile vapors, an engine loading system automatically operated by the controller(s) applies an automatically adjustable braking load on the engine. The load level applied is based on the sensor data and commensurate with maintaining stable engine running conditions. The loading system decreases time necessary to remediate a site.

A control system for carburation of an internal combustion engine in use conditions comprising following activities: starting the engine with a value of equals .sub.0=.sub.T; constructing a curve c.sub.i() of the ionization current as a function of the angular position a of the crank shaft; selecting, on this curve c.sub.i(), a number of points at intervals of the rotation angle a; calculating value z, equal to integral from 0 to 360 of the curve c.sub.i(), is done by summing products c.sub.i for all preselected points; interrupting supply of fuel for some cycles in order to externally modify factor .sub.0 and take it to value .sub.1; for value .sub.1 constructing curve c.sub.i() and calculating value z.sub.1; calculating difference .sub.z=z.sub.1z.sub.0, and if the difference is >.sub.zref in absolute value, intervening on carburation by increasing the quantity of fuel injected in a case of a positive difference (lean mixture) and by reducing the quantity of fuel injected in a case of a negative difference (rich mixture).

A system for combusting volatile vapors includes a carburetor having intake valves for receiving base fuel from a fuel source, ambient combustion air, and volatile vapors from a vapor source. A plurality of sensors measure and generate sensor data based on a respective plurality of physical properties associated with the carburetor and associate combustion engine operation. One or more programmable controllers receive the sensor data and control the intake valves to regulate respective ratios of the fuel, air, volatile vapors drawn through the carburetor based on the received sensor data. To increase the burn of volatile vapors, an engine loading system automatically operated by the controller(s) applies an automatically adjustable braking load on the engine. The load level applied is based on the sensor data and commensurate with maintaining stable engine running conditions. The loading system decreases time necessary to remediate a site.

A system of optimizing carburetor operation comprising: a carburetor controller; an air-fuel ratio sensor; a first communication channel; a processor; a power source; a non-transitory computer-readable memory element; a second communication channel for transmitting and receiving data; an external device; wherein said sensor sample air-fuel ratio in said carburetor; said sensor send said air-fuel ratio information via said first communication channel to said processor; said processor store it in said non-transitory computer-readable memory element; and said processor also send said information to said external device via said second communication channel. A carburetor spacer apparatus with multiple ports is also presented.

To meet stringent emission standards and improve performance of two-stroke crankcase-scavenged engines, the muffler (13) of the engine is provided with mixing means (130, 31) for mixing the exhaust gases (42) resulting from the mixture participating in combustion and gases resulting from scavenging, so that a substantially homogenous gaseous mixture is formed within the muffler (13), and means (81) for sensing oxygen concentration is located in the homogeneous gaseous mixture and are configured to provide an output value to a control unit (80) for controlling supply of fuel to the engine and thereby the air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber (41). The muffler (13) suitably is provided with a catalytic element (140), preferably a three-way catalyst. The engine (1) preferably is a stratified charge engine.

A system for combusting volatile vapors includes: a carburetor having intake valves for receiving fuel from a fuel source, air from an external air intake, and volatile vapors from a vapor source, the carburetor configured to discharge a combustion mixture into a combustion engine; a plurality of sensors configured to generate sensor data based on a respective plurality of physical properties associated with the carburetor and the combustion engine; a programmable controller configured to receive the sensor data as input from each of the plurality of sensors and to control the intake valves to regulate respective ratios of the fuel, air, and the volatile vapors drawn through the carburetor in response to the received sensor data; and a display operatively coupled to the programmable controller to display at least a real-time portion of the sensor data.

A system for combusting volatile vapors includes: a carburetor having intake valves for receiving fuel from a fuel source, air from an external air intake, and volatile vapors from a vapor source, the carburetor configured to discharge a combustion mixture into a combustion engine; a plurality of sensors configured to generate sensor data based on a respective plurality of physical properties associated with the carburetor and the combustion engine; a programmable controller configured to receive the sensor data as input from each of the plurality of sensors and to control the intake valves to regulate respective ratios of the fuel, air, and the volatile vapors drawn through the carburetor in response to the received sensor data; and a display operatively coupled to the programmable controller to display at least a real-time portion of the sensor data.

A combination system may include a carburetor in fluid communication with an engine intake tract and a fuel injector in fluid communication with the engine intake tract.