Internal combustion engine with catalytic ignition

Abstract

A catalytic internal combustion engine has an air cylinder (12) and a fuel management cylinder (14) interconnected at their head ends by a combustion chamber (5) and having respective pistons (16, 18) reciprocating in phase. Petrol is injected into the fuel management cylinder where is vaporizes in air during the compression stroke to form a very high air/fuel vapor mixture which cannot be spontaneously ignited by the high compression pressures used in the engine. Low octane petrol is a suitable fuel even when compression ratios of 12-16:1 are used. Air from cylinder (12) is forced into the combustion chamber (5) during the compression stroke through a port (44) which imparts a vortex motion in the air in the chamber (5). This mixes with the fuel/air mixture entering the combustion chamber from cylinder (14). A thin platinum layer catalyst on the wall of the combustion chamber triggers compression ignition of the fuel/air mixture as it mixes with the air in the combustion chamber. The continuous ignition produced by the catalyst as fuel molecules contact it results in complete combustion of the fuel/air mixture. Since the catalyst is capable of igniting very lean fuel/air mixtures which cannot be spark ignited considerable fuel economy is achieved with complete combustion and low exhaust emission, obviating the need for catalytic after burners in the exhaust system.