Patent ID: 9593633
Date: 2017-03-14
CPC Classifications: F02B,F02D,F02M,F02P,Y02T

Claim:
1. An internal combustion engine, comprising: a pre-chamber assembly including a wall having an internal surface opposite an external surface, the internal surface of the wall defining a combustion pre-chamber and at least one orifice extending to an aperture through the external surface of the wall; a block having an internal surface defining a bore therein; a piston disposed within the bore and configured for reciprocal translation within the bore, the piston, the bore, and the external surface of the wall at least partly defining a main combustion chamber, and the combustion pre-chamber being in fluid communication with the main combustion chamber via the at least one orifice; an energy source operatively coupled to the combustion pre-chamber; an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve fluidly coupled to the combustion pre-chamber and an exhaust conduit of the internal combustion engine; and a controller operatively coupled to the energy source and the EGR valve, the controller being configured to admit a flow of exhaust gas into the combustion pre-chamber along a flow path that does not include the main combustion chamber by actuating the EGR valve, effect a plurality of energy pulses from the energy source within the combustion pre-chamber during one cycle of the piston reciprocating within the bore, and increase a concentration of at least one of diatomic hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) within a mixture of a fuel and an oxidizer disposed within the combustion pre-chamber in response to a first energy pulse of the plurality of energy pulses.