The present invention is a compression-ignition direct-injection internal-combustion engine comprising at least a cylinder (10), a cylinder head (12) carrying fuel injection means (14), a piston (16) sliding in the cylinder, a combustion chamber (34) limited on one side by an upper face (44) of the piston comprising a projection (48) extending in the direction of the cylinder head and located in a center of a concave bowl (46). The engine comprises injection projecting fuel in at least two fuel jet sheets. One of the zones comprises a toroidal volume (64) having center B with a flat bottom (56) into which fuel jets (40) of the lower sheet are injected so that an axis C1 of the lower sheet jets is contained between center B and projection (48).

An internal combustion engine includes a piston and a fuel injection valve. The fuel injection valve includes a first injection hole, a second injection hole, a first needle configured to open and close the first injection hole, and a second needle configured to open and close the second injection hole. The first injection hole and the second injection hole are configured such that a portion of a fuel spray injected from the first injection hole and a portion of a fuel spray injected from the second injection hole overlap each other at a position apart at a predetermined distance from a side wall of a cavity of the piston. The second needle is configured to start operation in order to open the second injection hole after a predetermined time has elapsed from a point of time when the first needle starts operation in order to open the first injection hole.

A fuel injection valve has first injection holes, second injection holes, a first needle that opens and closes the first injection holes, and a second needle. The fuel injection valve is arranged such that a part of fuel injected from the first injection hole and a part of fuel injected from the second injection hole are gathered together at a position spaced from the side wall of the cavity by a predetermined distance. The second needle starts operating to open the second injection holes, after a predetermined time elapses from a point in time at which the first needle starts operating to open the first injection holes.

In a dual-fuel fuel injector comprising a first injector unit for a first injector operating mode using a first main fuel and a second injector unit for a second injector operating mode using a second main fuel and an injector-reservoir, the reservoir is connected at one end to a first main fuel supply and at the opposite end to a second main fuel supply with a separating element disposed in the injector reservoir so as to be movable between the opposite ends so that, in each operating mode, the full volume of the reservoir can be used for accommodating the respective main fuel.

The invention relates to a fuel injector for injecting two liquid and/or gaseous fuels with an injector housing (1), comprising a nozzle body (2) and a valve body (3). A first nozzle needle (7), arranged such that it can move in a stroke-like manner, is arranged in said injector housing (1) for opening and closing an injection cross-section (27). The first nozzle needle (7) is thereby designed as a hollow needle in which a second nozzle needle (8), arranged such that it can move in a stroke-like manner, is arranged. Same cooperates with an inner nozzle seat (25) formed in the first nozzle needle (7) to open and close at least one injection opening (35). The first nozzle needle (7) and the second nozzle needle (8) border an injection chamber (20) that can be filled with fuel via a supply throttle (36). In addition, in an upper switch position, the second nozzle needle (8) is in contact with a seal seat (38) and thereby separates a connection between the injection chamber (20) and the supply throttle (36).

This invention discloses a combustion method, which is for an internal combustion engine, which utilizes variable spray patterns matched with a combustion chamber composing of multiple connected spaces based on injection timings and engine loads. This invention provides means to control propagation paths of combustion reaction radicals and control pressure rise rate, and also provides means to promote stratification of premixed charges. An internal combustion engine utilizing the disclosed combustion methods is also disclosed.

An assembly at least comprising a fuel injector for dual fuel operation of an internal combustion engine. The assembly includes a nozzle holder defining a fuel circuit and provided with a nose adapted in use to be in connection with a combustion space of an internal combustion engine, and first and second nozzles in communication with the fuel circuit in the nozzle holder for directly injecting liquid fuel into the combustion space of the internal combustion engine for ignition of a combustible mixture present in the combustion space. The first and second nozzles adjacent to the nose of the nozzle holder are interconnected by a cooling channel. At each actuation of a fuel pump upstream of the first and second nozzles, substantially a full volume of fuel pumped during actuation of the fuel pump is allowed to flow through the cooling channel and via the first and second nozzles.

A fuel injector for an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The fuel injector is installable in a cylinder head bore of a cylinder head of the engine and has a body region arranged to be received within the cylinder head bore, and a head region arranged to extend outside the cylinder head bore to protrude from the cylinder head when the injector is installed in the cylinder head bore. The injector includes a first valve needle arranged to control the injection of a gaseous fuel from a first outlet, a second valve needle arranged to control the injection of a liquid fuel from a second outlet, a gaseous fuel inlet for admitting the gaseous fuel to the injector, and a liquid fuel inlet port for admitting the liquid fuel to the injector. The gaseous fuel inlet is disposed in the body region of the injector, and the liquid fuel inlet port is disposed in the head region of the injector. The injector can also include an internal accumulator volume so that an external fuel rail is not necessary.

An injection nozzle that for a first fuel in a first mode and in a second mode ignition fluid for a second fuel is introduced. The injection nozzle includes an injection nozzle body with first and second injection orifices and a displaceable injection nozzle needle in the injection nozzle body. The first injection orifices have smaller injection orifice cross-sections than the second injection orifices and are arranged at a defined distance. In a first displacement direction for closing the orifices the first injection orifices are located in front of the second injection orifices and seen in a second displacement direction of the injection nozzle needle for the opening or unblocking of the orifices, the first injection orifices are located behind the second injection orifices.

A fuel injection device is used in an internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber partitioned by a cylinder head, a cylinder, and a piston crown surface so that at least one of the amount of NOx, Pmax, and a thermal efficiency is maintained at a predetermined value. The fuel injection device includes a fuel injection change unit. The fuel injection change unit virtually divides the combustion chamber into N number of combustion zones where N is a natural number of 2 or more, and can change a fuel injection method according to the respective combustion zones. The fuel injection change unit divides the combustion chamber into the N number of combustion zones, thereby being capable of eliminating a difference of heat in the respective combustion zones, and precisely controlling an in-cylinder pressure P in the combustion chamber. As a result, the amount of NOx and the thermal efficiency can be optimized. Therefore, both of a reduction in the amount of NOx and the high thermal efficiency can be achieved.