This invention relates to improvements in internal combustion engines. More particularly it relates to increased levels of usable electrical energy production and fuel efficiency within a relatively fixed speed, cam-track style Engine/Generator when combined with the secondary injection or injections of a rapidly expanding medium (usually water) into the engines combustion chambers during and after the combustion process has been initiated. The injection of said medium causing reduced fuel consumption, increased cylinder pressure, an extended usable piston stroke length, and increased usable energy production, while reducing the temperature of the combustion gases in order to control or eliminate the production of the pollutant, NOx and to further reduce thermal pollution exhausted into the atmosphere.

This invention relates to improvements in internal combustion engines. More particularly it relates to increased levels of usable electrical energy production and fuel efficiency within a relatively fixed speed, cam-track style Engine/Generator when combined with the secondary injection or injections of a rapidly expanding medium (usually water) into the engines combustion chambers during and after the combustion process has been initiated. The injection of said medium causing reduced fuel consumption, increased cylinder pressure, an extended usable piston stroke length, and increased usable energy production, while reducing the temperature of the combustion gases in order to control or eliminate the production of the pollutant, NOx and to further reduce thermal pollution exhausted into the atmosphere.

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.

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.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a metal-organic framework composition including a metal-organic framework having an ana topology, the metal-organic framework including one or more metals connected to one or more organic linkers. Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a method of separating chemical species including contacting a metal-organic framework having an ana topology with a flow of paraffins and separating the paraffins.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a metal-organic framework composition including a metal-organic framework having an ana topology, the metal-organic framework including one or more metals connected to one or more organic linkers. Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a method of separating chemical species including contacting a metal-organic framework having an ana topology with a flow of paraffins and separating the paraffins.

A compression ignition (diesel) engine uses two or more fuel charges during a combustion cycle, with the fuel charges having two or more reactivities (e.g., different cetane numbers), in order to control the timing and duration of combustion. By appropriately choosing the reactivities of the charges, their relative amounts, and their timing, combustion can be tailored to achieve optimal power output (and thus fuel efficiency), at controlled temperatures (and thus controlled NOx), and with controlled equivalence ratios (and thus controlled soot). At low load and no load (idling) conditions, the aforementioned results are attained by restricting airflow to the combustion chamber during the intake stroke (as by throttling the incoming air at or prior to the combustion chamber's intake port) so that the cylinder air pressure is below ambient pressure at the start of the compression stroke.

A compression ignition (diesel) engine uses two or more fuel charges during a combustion cycle, with the fuel charges having two or more reactivities (e.g., different cetane numbers), in order to control the timing and duration of combustion. By appropriately choosing the reactivities of the charges, their relative amounts, and their timing, combustion can be tailored to achieve optimal power output (and thus fuel efficiency), at controlled temperatures (and thus controlled NOx), and with controlled equivalence ratios (and thus controlled soot). At low load and no load (idling) conditions, the aforementioned results are attained by restricting airflow to the combustion chamber during the intake stroke (as by throttling the incoming air at or prior to the combustion chamber's intake port) so that the cylinder air pressure is below ambient pressure at the start of the compression stroke.

The invention relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine (1) provided with at least one working cylinder (3a-3d) each with an associated auxiliary cylinder (5a-5d), which engine (1) is operable in spark ignition and compression ignition modes. Each working cylinder (3a-3d) comprises a working piston (7a-7a) connected to a first crankshaft (9), and each auxiliary cylinder (5a-5d) comprises an auxiliary piston (10a-10d) connected to a second crankshaft (12). The first crankshaft (9) is connected to the second crankshaft (12) to drive the second crankshaft (12) at half the rotational speed of the first crankshaft (9). A device for controlling the phase angle is arranged between the first and second crankshafts. The method involves controlling the phase shift device in order to retain residual exhaust gas and increase the compression ratio. A current combustion phasing timing is determined, and the combustion phasing timing is corrected by increasing or decreasing the phase angle to achieve a desired combustion phasing timing.

The invention relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine (1) provided with at least one working cylinder (3a-3d) each with an associated auxiliary cylinder (5a-5d), which engine (1) is operable in spark ignition and compression ignition modes. Each working cylinder (3a-3d) comprises a working piston (7a-7a) connected to a first crankshaft (9), and each auxiliary cylinder (5a-5d) comprises an auxiliary piston (10a-10d) connected to a second crankshaft (12). The first crankshaft (9) is connected to the second crankshaft (12) to drive the second crankshaft (12) at half the rotational speed of the first crankshaft (9). A device for controlling the phase angle is arranged between the first and second crankshafts. The method involves controlling the phase shift device in order to retain residual exhaust gas and increase the compression ratio. A current combustion phasing timing is determined, and the combustion phasing timing is corrected by increasing or decreasing the phase angle to achieve a desired combustion phasing timing.