Patent ID: 7017547

Claim:
A method for controlling the liquid-phase fuel penetration distance of fuel in an engine adapted to operate in a plurality of combustion modes and having direct fuel injection into a combustion chamber of the engine, said combustion chamber having predefined interior surfaces and said method comprising: providing a source of liquid fuel for said engine; injecting fuel from said source of liquid fuel through at least one injector into the combustion chamber of the engine; determining at least one contemporary operating parameter of the engine; determining a desirable combustion mode based on the determined contemporary operating parameter of the engine; determining a desirable liquid phase penetration distance for fuel injected into the combustion chamber of said engine at which fuel impingement on said predefined interior surfaces of the combustion chamber is minimized, said desirable liquid phase penetration distance being based on said determined desirable combustion mode and said at least one contemporary operating parameter of the engine; controllably heating fuel provided by said source of liquid fuel prior to injection into the combustion chamber of said engine and altering the liquid-phase penetration distance of said fuel into the combustion chamber of said engine in response to the determined desirable liquid phase penetration distance for liquid fuel injected into the combustion chamber of said engine.