A first engine fuel, for example diesel fuel, is reformed (preferably via steam reforming) to produce syngas for use as a second engine fuel, with the fuels then both being used in an internal combustion engine to perform Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI). The syngas is produced and supplied to the engine as a supercritical fluid, thereby avoiding the pumping losses that would occur if syngas was pressurized for supply/injection. The reforming is done by a reformer which is provided as a unit with the engine (e.g., both the engine and reformer are onboard a vehicle), thereby effectively allowing use of a single fuel for RCCI engine operation.

A method of implementing control logic of a compression-ignition engine is provided. A control part of the engine performs a calculation according to the control logic corresponding to an engine operating state in response to a measurement of a measurement part, controls a fuel injection part, a variable valve operating mechanism, an ignition part and a supercharger so that a G/F becomes leaner than a stoichiometric air fuel ratio and a A/F becomes equal to or richer than the stoichiometric air fuel ratio, while causing the supercharger to boost, and controls the ignition part so that unburnt mixture gas combusts by self-ignition after the ignition. The method includes determining a supercharging pressure P, and determining control logic defining a close timing IVC of an intake valve. When determining the control logic, the close timing IVC (deg.aBDC) is determined so that the supercharging pressure P (kPa) satisfies the following expression: P8.010.sup.11IVC.sup.61.010.sup.8IVC.sup.5+3.010.sup.7IVC.sup.44.010.sup.6IVC.sup.3+0.0068IVC.sup.20.3209IVC+116.63.

A hybrid electric vehicle comprises a set of wheels, a mechanical transmission adapted to provide torque to the set of wheels, an electric motor coupled to and providing motive force to the mechanical transmission, battery storage coupled to and supplying electrical power to the electric motor, and a gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engine coupled to at least one of the mechanical transmission and the electric motor so as to provide mechanical energy to the mechanical transmission and energy for operating the electric motor.

In an internal combustion engine which performs a homogeneous lean combustion mode and a stratified lean combustion mode, there is provided a new internal combustion engine control device capable of obtaining a stable combustion state by decreasing influences of delay of an air flow and a degree of change of a transient state and smoothly performing switching between the homogeneous lean combustion mode and the stratified lean combustion mode. Accordingly, in the present invention, when switching between the stratified lean mode in which a compression stroke injection is performed by a direct injection injector 7 and the homogeneous lean combustion mode in which an intake stroke injection is performed by the direct injection injector 7 is performed, a predetermined delay time t is provided from at least a switching operation of a tumble control valve 6, a switching operation between the compression stroke injection and the intake stroke injection is performed, and the delay time t is set so as to correspond to a magnitude of the degree of change L of the transient state. A switching timing between the compression stroke injection and the intake stroke injection is controlled according to the flow delay of an air control system such as the tumble control valve 6 and the degree of change L of the transient state, and thus, it is possible to improve combustion stability in a combustion chamber.

A method for controlling an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders including a first cylinder and one or more remaining cylinders includes selecting a desired auto-ignition dwell for a first combustion cycle for the first cylinder of the plurality of cylinders. A first fuel mass is provided to the first cylinder which is combusted during the first combustion cycle. An actual auto-ignition dwell for the first combustion cycle which results from the first fuel mass is determined and a dwell error is calculated. The dwell error is used to determine a second fuel mass which provided to the first cylinder and which is combusted during the second combustion cycle.

A fuel injection system for fuel metering may include an injection nozzle, which includes a nozzle body, a nozzle needle, and a nozzle orifice, wherein nozzle needle is disposed in the nozzle body; a control piston configured to mechanically and electrically contact the nozzle needle in an axial direction opposite to the nozzle orifice; a transmitter configured to communicate with a controller and electrically contact the nozzle needle via the control piston; wherein the controller is configured to determine an open state and a closed state between the nozzle needle and the nozzle body via an electrical signal detected by the transmitter; and wherein the controller is configured to adjust the open state and the closed state in correlation with a fuel injection quantity.

A method of implementing control logic of a compression-ignition engine is provided. A control part of the engine performs a calculation according to the control logic corresponding to an engine operating state in response to a measurement of a measurement part, controls a fuel injection part, a variable valve operating mechanism, an ignition part and a supercharger so that a G/F becomes leaner than a stoichiometric air fuel ratio and a A/F becomes equal to or richer than the stoichiometric air fuel ratio, while causing the supercharger to boost, and controls the ignition part so that unburnt mixture gas combusts by self-ignition after the ignition. The method includes determining a supercharging pressure P, and determining control logic defining a close timing IVC of an intake valve. When determining the control logic, the close timing IVC (deg.aBDC) is determined so that the supercharging pressure P (kPa) satisfies the following expression: P8.010.sup.11IVC.sup.61.010.sup.8IVC.sup.5+3.010.sup.7IVC.sup.44.010.sup.6IVC.sup.3+0.0068IVC.sup.20.3209IVC+116.63.

A first engine fuel, for example diesel fuel, is reformed (preferably via steam reforming) to produce syngas for use as a second engine fuel, with the fuels then both being used in an internal combustion engine to perform Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI). The syngas is produced and supplied to the engine as a supercritical fluid, thereby avoiding the pumping losses that would occur if syngas was pressurized for supply/injection. The reforming is done by a reformer which is provided as a unit with the engine (e.g., both the engine and reformer are onboard a vehicle), thereby effectively allowing use of a single fuel for RCCI engine operation.

A gasoline compression ignition engine, a vehicle and a method of operating a gasoline compression ignition engine. An inlet air management system includes a membrane-based separator and an exhaust gas recirculation flowpath that cooperate to deliver a nitrogen enriched air stream to the engine to help reduce exhaust gas emissions. The separator segregates the incoming air into the nitrogen enriched air stream as well as an oxygen enriched air stream such that the latter can be used for various engine load conditions, as well as for supplemental air for a cabin or related passenger compartment within a vehicle that is powered by the engine. Significantly, during an increase in engine load not associated with the cold start and warm-up conditions, the nitrogen enriched air supply that is used for the exhaust gas emissions reduction is provided at least partially by the nitrogen enriched air stream from the separator, as well as increasingly by the nitrogen enriched combustion product stream from the exhaust gas recirculation flowpath.

A hybrid combustion mode of an internal combustion engine and a controller thereof, an internal combustion engine, and an automobile. The hybrid combustion mode of an internal combustion engine comprises: directly injecting fuel in a cylinder, using ignition combustion control when the internal combustion engine is started, and increasing the inlet temperature and inlet pressure by using a turbocharger; using homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion mode when the internal combustion engine is run, and except when the engine flames out, opening all throttles, not performing exhaust relief control on the turbocharger, increasing filled gas amount by using the turbocharger, and increasing the combustion temperature and pressure of a tail end of a cylinder compression stroke; and when the internal combustion engine is low in load, or when it cannot be determined, through the temperature of a water tank and the inlet pressure behind the throttle, that a compression ignition condition is met, switching a combustion control mode from ignition to compression ignition, if a compression ignition state can be switched to smoothly, maintaining the compression ignition combustion mode, and if the compression ignition state cannot be switched to smoothly and therefore the rotation speed of the engine decreases abnormally, quickly recovering the ignition combustion control mode. Cool start of low-octane gasoline internal combustion engine in a low-temperature environment can be implemented.