COMBUSTION CHAMBER GASKETS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS OF USE AND MANUFACTURE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application No. 14/273,482 entitled "SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND DEVICES WITH ENHANCED LORENTZ THRUST", filed on or before May 8, 2014, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application No. 13/844,240 entitled "FUEL INJECTION SYSTEMS WITH ENHANCED THRUST" filed on March 15, 2013, which claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/722,090 entitled "FUEL INJECTION AND COMBUSTION SYSTEM FOR HEAT ENGINES" filed on November 2, 2012. This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application No. 14/273,479 entitled "FUEL INJECTION SYSTEMS WITH ENHANCED CORONA BURST", filed on or before May 8, 2014, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application No. 13/844,488 entitled "FUEL INJECTION SYSTEMS WITH ENHANCED CORONA BURST" filed on March 15, 2013, which claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/722,090 entitled "FUEL INJECTION AND COMBUSTION SYSTEM FOR HEAT ENGINES" filed on November 2, 2012. This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 /896,014 entitled "COMBUSTION CHAMBER GASKETS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS OF USE AND MANUFACTURE", filed on October 25, 2013; U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 /990,632 entitled, "COMBUSTION CHAMBER GASKETS AND ASSOCIATED METHOD OF USE AND MANUFACTURE", filed on May 8, 2014; U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/059,843 entitled, "COMBUSTION CHAMBER GASKETS AND ASSOCIATED METHOD OF USE AND MANUFACTURE", filed on May 8, 2014; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/059,854 entitled, "SHUTTLE VALVE, PLASMA ENABLED VARNISH REMOVAL SYSTEM AND METHODS THEREOF", filed on Oct 3, 2014. Each of these aforementioned patent applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety as part of the disclosure of this patent document. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The following disclosure relates generally to combustion chamber gaskets and, more specifically, to combustion chamber inserts having heat blocking, heat retaining, heat transferring, and/or insulative properties.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are rapidly causing increased gains of solar energy in the global atmosphere. Vast amounts of carbon dioxide are released by civilization's dependence upon annual burning of more than a million years of fossil accumulations. Increased atmospheric energy causes climate changes including amplified evaporation of the oceans and increased severity of hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods.

[0004] Pre-industrial atmospheric carbon dioxide was about 250 ppm compared to the presently rising level of more than 400 ppm. Methane releases from sources such as landfills, swamp gas, permafrost decay, and petroleum production is up to 70 times more detrimental per molecule than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas for increasing solar gain in the atmosphere. After decades of random walk through the atmosphere methane is oxidized to carbon dioxide by lightning induced oxidation in the lower atmosphere or as it harmfully depletes stratospheric ozone. Methane concentration in the global atmosphere has more than doubled compared to pre- industrial averages.

[0005] Internal combustion systems include combustion of a fuel with an oxidant in a combustion chamber. The hot gases produced by the combustion event occupy a greater volume than the original fuel and create an increase in pressure within the limited volume of the chamber. This pressure can be used to do work (e.g., move a piston), generating useful mechanical energy. Internal combustion systems are generally most efficient when there is more complete fuel burning at higher temperatures in the chamber. However, combustion chamber liners or coatings designed to improve wear-resistance often increase thermal conduction of the heat outside the combustion chamber. Accordingly, there exists a need for mechanisms to improve combustion efficiency and to harvest energy ordinarily wasted from the combustion process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figures 1 A and 1 B show engine operations in accordance to the principles of the disclosure.

[0007] Figures 2A-2L show a head gasket assembly components for operations in accordance to the principles of the disclosure.

[0008] Figure 3 shows an embodiment for operations in accordance to the principles of the disclosure.

[0009] Figures 4A and 4B show embodiments for operations in accordance to the principles of the disclosure.

[0010] Figure 5 shows an embodiment for operations in accordance to the principles of the disclosure.

[0011] Figures 6A and 6B show an embodiment for operations in accordance to the principles of the disclosure.

[0012] Figures 7A and 7B show an embodiment for operations in accordance to the principles of the disclosure.

[0013] Figures 8A and 8B show an embodiment for operations in accordance to the principles of the disclosure.

[0014] Figure 8C shows another embodiment for operations in accordance to the principles of the disclosure.

[0015] Figures 9A-9C is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment in accordance to the principles of the disclosure.

[0016] Figure 9D shows an embodiment for operations in accordance to the principles of the disclosure. [0017] Figure 9E shows another embodiment for operations in accordance to the principles of the disclosure.

[0018] Figure 10A shows a diagram of an exemplary multifunctional gasket assembly capable of producing Lorentz force and corona discharge for implementing fuel ignition and cleaning applications in a chamber.

[0019] Figure 10B shows a diagram of the exemplary multifunctional gasket assembly of Figure 10A implemented in a combustion chamber including an exemplary injector and/or ignition device of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The present disclosure describes devices for providing combustion chamber assemblies with inserts for receiving, retaining, transferring, and/or insulating heat in a combustion chamber. The disclosure further describes associated systems, assemblies, components, and methods regarding the same. Certain details are set forth in the following description and figures to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the disclosure. However, other details describing well-known structures and systems often associated with internal combustion engines, combustion chambers, cylinder heads, cylinder sleeves and/or blocks, gaskets, pistons, injectors, igniters, and/or other aspects of combustion systems are not set forth below to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of various embodiments of the disclosure. Thus, it will be appreciated that several of the details set forth below are provided to describe the following embodiments in a manner sufficient to enable a person skilled in the relevant art to make and use the disclosed embodiments. Several of the details and advantages described below, however, may not be necessary to practice certain embodiments of the disclosure.

[0021] Figure 1 A is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a combustion chamber assembly 100 configured in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. As will be described in further detail below, the combustion chamber assembly 100 can include one or more heat-retaining portions, or inserts, capable of directional heat transfer. The inserts can have an insulative property for blocking heat from traveling in a first direction (e.g., to other parts of the engine), and can have efficient heat transfer properties for facilitating heat transfer or temporarily holding heat and then transferring heat in a second direction (e.g., to facilitate processes in the same or subsequent combustion chambers or the exhaust system.).

[0022] Figure 2A shows an engine assembly of head gasket 200 between cylinder head assembly 266 including intake and exhaust valves, and engine block assembly 270 including pistons and a suitable output mechanism such as a crankshaft. Gasket 200 can provide fuel injection and ignition to operate the engine assembly. Gasket 200 can also provide injection of cooling fluid to remove heat from the combustion chamber of the engine including timed deliveries of such cooling fluid to maintain the engine components in a desired temperature range of operation. Gasket 200 can also be configured to maintain, increase, or decrease the compression ratio and/or combustion chamber geometry and/or the fluid dynamics of combustion chamber operations.

[0023] As illustrated in other figures gasket 200 can also include instrumentation and microprocessors to monitor and measure the events and conditions of combustion chamber operation including intake of oxidant, injection patterns of fluids such as fuel and/or coolant, ignition, combustion, pressure, and temperature, to determine and adaptively improve outcomes such as brake mean effective pressure (BMEP), torque, work production, and fuel efficiency. Gasket 200 can also include energy harvesting components to convert thermal, optical, and pressure energy potentials into electrical energy. Gasket 200 can also include one or more subsystems for performing chemical process conversions such as production of filaments, strips, tapes, and/or other reinforcements for improving the performance of manufactured articles. Gasket 200 can also include subsystems for participation in fluid conditioning processes such as heating, cooling, change of phase, reforming or respeciation to produce one or more desirable fuel constituents such as hydrogen and/or chemical plasma generation agents from feedstocks such as methane or other hydrocarbons and an oxygen donor such as water.

[0024] Gasket assembly 200 and/or other combustion chamber inserts can provide various other improvements for combustion chamber and/or engine operation. Illustratively combustion chamber events such as fuel combustion can be provided at a higher peak or average temperature to improve the fuel efficiency, BMEP and range of useful torque production. Similarly, gasket 200 and/or other combustion chamber inserts can occasionally provide operation with higher average exhaust temperature to facilitate endothermic thermochemical processes such as fuel and/or other fluid conditioning. Startup and cold engine operating conditions along with fuel and/or duty cycle changes including heavy acceleration and regenerative braking are exemplary occasions for improving engine performance by such options. In the illustrated embodiments, a combustion chamber assembly such as 100, 400, or 500 includes a combustion chamber 146 or 446 at least partially defined by an engine cylinder wall 101 or 418, insert plate or gasket 200, intake and exhaust valves 120 and122 or 412 and 414. An injector 102 or 416 can be configured to provide fluid such as fuel, oxidant, and/or coolant injection to the combustion chamber 146 or 446. In some embodiments, the injector 102 can be a fuel-injector/igniter having features such as those described in U.S. Patent Application Number 13/027,051 , titled, "FUEL INJECTOR ASSEMBLIES HAVING ACOUSTICAL FORCE MODIFIERS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS OF USE AND MANUFACTURE," filed February 14, 201 1 , and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0025] The combustion chamber assembly 100 can further include occasional or rhythmatic reciprocation of piston 148, operation of one or more intake valves 120 and one or more exhaust valves 122 that allow fluid (e.g., air) flow into and out of the combustion chamber 146, respectively. The intake and exhaust valves 120 and 122 can be movable between open and closed positions and can have surfaces exposed to the combustion chamber 146. The combustion chamber assembly 100 can further include an energy transfer device, such as a piston 148, moveable relative to the stationary cylinder 101 and head of the combustion chamber. In some embodiments, the piston 148 can be a composite piston such as may be made of internally-reinforced material, such as ceramic, carbon-carbon composite, silicon carbide, silicon carbide fiber compact, and/or nano-spaced arrays such as laminar graphene, graphite or boron nitride. The piston 148 can be annularly fitted with piston seals such as rings 145A, B, C configured to inhibit pressurized fluid from escaping the combustion chamber 146. Piston 148 can have one or more surfaces exposed to the combustion chamber 146. [0026] The combustion chamber assembly 100 can further include a sensor and/or transmitting component for detecting and relaying combustion chamber properties and events such as combustion temperatures and pressure and providing feedback to the controller 154A. Such sensor(s) can be integral to the intake valve 120, exhaust valve 122, injector 102, or other components of the combustion chamber assembly such as component 200 which can provide new functions including service as a replacement of the conventional head gasket. In some embodiments, for example, one or more sensors can include electrical field strength, dynamic pressure, temperature, and/or optical instrumentation, such as ultraviolet, visible or infrared radiation monitoring components incorporated in 200 and/or the fuel injector 102, and/or other suitable fiber optics, thermistors or thermocouples that monitor the combustion chamber or exhaust temperature. Combustion data can be transmitted via wireless, wired, optical, or other transmission methods to the controller 154A or other components. Such feedback enables extremely rapid and adaptive adjustments for desired fuel injection factors and characteristics including, for example, fluid selection, fluid such as fuel delivery pressure, fuel injection initiation timing, combustion chamber pressure and/or temperature, the timing of one, multiple or continuous plasma ignitions or capacitive discharges, etc. For example, the sensor can provide feedback to the controller 154A as to whether the measurable conditions within the combustion chamber 146, such as combustion patterns, temperature or pressure, fall within ranges that have been predetermined to provide desired combustion, work- production, and/or heat-exchange efficiency. Upon combustion chamber components reaching the desired temperature, one or more cooling and work producing cycles can be performed as may be indicated by the sensors.

[0027] As described above, the combustion chamber assembly 100 can include one or more inserts that can receive, retain, and/or transfer heat from heat producing events such as compression of gases and combustion along with heat transfer events such as swirl, turbulence, and radiation that would otherwise be wastefully dissipated from the combustion chamber 146. Heat can be transferred to and from solid material or substances that perform one or more phase changes to improve heat blocking, retention, and return to fluids in the combustion chamber. Materials that perform such phase changes include types that reversibly perform solid-solid, solid-liquid, crystal- amorphous, liquid-liquid and liquid-gas phase changes and may be contained in various amounts and orientations to enhance heat transfer and recovery operations. Suitable substance selections include carious eutectics, eutectoids, NaF-ZrF ₄ solutions, polymers such as selected olefins, liquid crystals, and halogenated olefins along with substances disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,709,914, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and other materials that may be selected by persons skilled in the art.

[0028] In the illustrated embodiments, the combustion chamber assembly 100 or 400 includes valve faces or inserts that can be heat blocking 408 and/or high surface area 409 on the intake valve 412 and/or the exhaust valve 414. A piston face or insert of high surface area 404 or heat blocking 410 is presented as a surface of the piston 420 facing the combustion chamber 146 or 446. The combustion chamber assemblies such as 100 or 400 can further include cylinder inserts in 200 e.g. 214 in various configurations and extents as shown in Figures 1A, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2G, 2I, 4A, 4B, 5, along with embodiments 10250 in Figures 10A and 10B. The piston, valve and cylinder inserts (referred to collectively as "inserts") can be integral to the combustion chamber assembly such as 100 and/or 400 or can be separate components coupled to the assembly 100 or 400. If the inserts are separate components, they can be attached to the combustion chamber assembly 100 or 400 by glue, solder, braze, screws, latches, bezels or other attachment mechanisms. In embodiments in which the inserts are an integral portion of the combustion chamber assembly 100 or 400, the inserts can comprise a coating that is applied to the combustion chamber assembly such as areas or regions of components that are exposed to heat from combustion.

[0029] In various embodiments, the inserts can include the following materials: boron nitride, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, graphite, graphene, carbon, silicon carbide, molybdenum disilicide, beryllia, magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide, spinel, aluminum boride, silica, an architectural construct, combinations of these materials, or other materials having similarly suitable thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties as may be produced and tailored from other abundant resources such as carbon, silicon, boron, nitrogen, oxygen, aluminum, magnesium, zirconium, and titanium. In some embodiments, the coating material can include architectural construct, as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 13/027,214 titled, "ARCHITECTURAL CONSTRUCT HAVING FOR EXAMPLE A PLURALITY OF ARCHITECTURAL CRYSTALS," filed February 14, 201 1 , and herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. In some embodiments, the inserts comprise a synthetic matrix characterization of crystals that are configured to retain heat and/or to facilitate heat exchange by suitable methods including radiation and/or conduction. In several embodiments, the material selection has a zero, or near-zero, thermal expansion.

[0030] Some factors that determine an appropriate material choice include the mass of the material, the specific heat, the latent heat of solidification, the surface to volume ratio, the surface finish/reflectivity, the color, the ability to include fins on the material for increased dimension and surface area, and the types of interaction the material has with flowing fluids, radiation, etc. In certain embodiments, the insert can include parallel, spaced-apart layers of microscopically-thin deposits of various materials chosen for particular thermal properties. For example, the insert can comprise spaced-apart graphite or graphene plates, which provide a low-density material having a relatively high heat-transfer. In further embodiments, the spaced- apart layers can be connected to cooling or heating sources to enhance conduction, radiation, and/or evaporation/condensation by/through the layers.

[0031] In some embodiments, the insert can include different materials on different layers or portions of the insert. For example, a material having low thermal conduction could contact a combustion chamber assembly 100 or 400 component, such as the cylinder wall and another material having a high heat transfer and/or capacity could be layered on the first material and could face the combustion chamber. In some embodiments, using combinations of multiple materials on the inserts supports multi-phase systems, particularly in large engines with relatively low piston or rotor speeds. For example, the inserts can include thermal shock resistance material such as spinels or can include an architectural construct as a piston insert 404 and/or 410; diamond-like coating of selected liners containing one or more annular rings of sodium, lithium, phosphorous, sulfur, or indium for a cylinder wall inserts; and eutectoids and eutectics as for valve inserts 408 and/or 409.

[0032] The insert coating can be applied by various techniques, including, for example, anodizing, diffusion bonding and/or processes that form carbides, borides, and nitrides (e.g., aluminum nitride ion implantation, boron ion implantation), carburizing with boron, carburizing with nitride, carburizing with molybdenum, and/or carburizing with magnesium. In some embodiments, a coating can be applied by hardening the surface of a component of the combustion chamber assembly 100 or 400. In some embodiments, the surface can be hardened with a material selected to provide the surface with extended wear capability, reduced starting friction, reduced sliding friction, and/or improved corrosion resistance. The process can further include smoothing at least one surface of the component and applying a treatment to the surface such as ion implantation, chemical vapor deposition, electroplating, electrodeless plating, sputtering, flame spraying, plasma spraying, diamond-like carbon deposition, magnesium/aluminum/boron deposition, nickel deposition, chromium deposition, aluminum deposition, aluminum nitride deposition, and/or titanium boride deposition. In other embodiments, the coatings can be applied using alternate or additional techniques.

[0033] In various embodiments, the inserts can be oriented in the combustion chamber assembly 100 to achieve a desired thermal effect. For example, in some embodiments, inserts (e.g., the crystal matrix of the insert material) can be oriented to be transverse to the direction of heat transfer to improve thermal retention. In further embodiments, inserts can have portions oriented at different angles relative to one another. For example, in a particular embodiment, one portion of an insert can insulate the top of the piston 148 or 420 while another portion insulates the cylinder wall 101 or 418. These portions of the insert can be oriented in different directions relative to one another (and yet both be oriented transverse to heat flow) to provide optimal insulation for the combustion chamber 146 or 446. In still further embodiments, a single insert can have layers oriented at nonzero angles relative to one another on the same portion of the insert. For example, an insert insulating the top of the piston 148 or 420 can have some layers oriented transversely to the heat transfer direction and other layers oriented obliquely to the heat transfer direction.

[0034] In operation, the inserts act as thermal flywheels, and can provide inertia against temperature fluctuations in the components beneath or that support the inserts in combustion chambers 146 and 446. The inserts can block, seal, reflect, or otherwise retain heat in the combustion chamber to prevent the heat from conducting or radiating away from the combustion chambers. Heat that is not conducted and/or reflected into the combustion chamber can be held or retained in thermal flywheel heat transfer portions to be subsequently transferred to work, producing expansive substances during a cooling phase in the combustion chamber and/or in an additional expander. In some embodiments, the inserts can serve to as a thermal flywheels to heat/cool phase change substances. The inserts can be used in conjunction with cooling methods and systems described in U.S. Patent Application Number 13/027,170, titled, "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ADAPTIVELY COOLING COMBUSTION CHAMBERS IN ENGINES," filed February 14, 201 1 , and herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. In the present instance such coolant substances can be introduced into the combustion chamber through conduits 240A, B, C, D etc., or 241 A, B, C, D, etc., and/or by injectors such as 102 and other disclosed types including 10500, 416, 516, 600A, 700 etc.

[0035] The inserts can also be configured to rapidly give up retained heat during a cooling phase, such as when coolant is injected into the combustion chamber such as during the intake, compression, power and/or exhaust strokes. The amount of energy retained by the inserts, and the ability to retain or release that heat, is determined by the size, placement, shape, and material choice of the inserts. The energy is released to the fluids in the combustion chamber by contact, radiation, or other energy-emission transfer. As described above, sensors in the combustion chamber can provide data to the controller 154A, 154B, 622A, 622B, 509A, 509B etc., including brake mean effective pressure indicators such as combustion patterns, combustion chamber pressure, positive or negative flywheel acceleration, the temperature of the combustion chamber contents or components, and/or the temperature of one or more inserts. The controller 154A, 154B, 622A, 622B, 509A, 509B etc. can in turn manipulate the combustion chamber conditions by controlling, for example, the frequency of cooling intake, cooling compression, cooling work, and/or the cooling exhaust cycle in a combustion chamber. This sensor/controller interactions thereby determines how much work is accomplished, heat is reflected, re- radiated, or conducted by the inserts and how much is held or retained in cyclic operations.

[0036] In the illustrated embodiment, the valve inserts 408 or 409 face the combustion chamber 446 and have thermal properties that can receive, retain, and/or transfer heat in the combustion chamber. The piston inserts 404 and 410 can receive and block heat transfer to other portions of the piston 420 or combustion chamber assembly 100 or 400. Similarly, valve inserts 236 and 238, cylinder insert 232, piston insert 234, gasket assembly 200 can receive and utilize and/or block heat transfer from the combustion chamber 146 to other zones of the engine assembly. Such inserts can together receive, hold, and utilize heat of compression and combustion and release it back to the air and fuel and/or the combustion gases in the combustion chamber such as during events of the next stroke cycle. In various embodiments, the inserts can be applied to one or more of the piston 148 or 420, intake and/or exhaust valves 120 or 412, 122 or 414; exposed portions of the combustion chamber 146 or 446 and head; assembly 200, cylinder wall 101 or 418 and/or to the exhaust gas passageways. In further embodiments, the combustion chamber assembly 100 or 400 can include more or fewer inserts than illustrated, and the inserts can be located on additional or alternate surfaces of the combustion chamber assembly 100 or 400.

[0037] The inserts can improve the efficiency of combustion by retaining heat in the combustion chamber 146 or 446, increasing fuel-combustion efficiency, reducing or eliminating quenched NOx and/or particulates and decreasing fuel requirements per unit of work production. The inserts can additionally reduce the demand and parasitic losses for general cooling (e.g., a water jacket and air-cooled radiator), as more of the heat generated in the combustion chamber 146 or 446 is utilized to produce work including engine mechanical work and electricity production by thermoelectric, photoelectric, and/or pressure electric (e.g. piezoelectric) by transducers and/or generators in gasket assembly 200 and thus such energy conversion potentials are not wastefully dissipated. Furthermore, wear on engine parts caused by exposure to heat is reduced, as susceptible engine components are protected from high-temperature heat from combustion.

[0038] The features of the combustion chamber assembly 100 described above with reference to Figure 1 A can be included in any of the embodiments described below with reference to Figures 2 and 3 or in other embodiments of combustion chamber assemblies that have been described in publications that have been incorporated by reference herein. Furthermore, some or all of the features of the combustion chamber assembly 100 can be used with a wide variety of engines including, but not limited to, two-stroke and four-stroke piston engines, rotary combustion engines, gas turbine engines, or combinations of these. The features of the combustion chamber assembly 100 can likewise be used with a wide variety of fuel types including diesel, gasoline, natural gas (including methane, ethane, and propane), renewable fuels (including fuel alcohols— both wet and dry— and nitrogenous fuels such as ammonia), and designer fuels.

[0039] Figures 1A and 4B show schematic cross-sectional side views of combustion chambers 146 and 446 configured in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure. The combustion chamber assembly includes several features generally similar to the combustion chamber assembly 100 described above with reference to Figure 1 A. For example, the combustion chamber assembly includes an injector 102 or 416 configured to provide fuel and/or coolant injection to combustion chambers 146 or 446. The combustion chamber 146 is formed from an engine cylinder wall 101 , cylinder gasket insert 200, piston 148, or 420 piston insert, 407 or 404, engine head 401 or 10268, valve 120, exhaust valve 122, and valve inserts such as 408 or 409. The combustion chamber assembly 200 can further include the mechanical operating assembly of one or more intake valves 120, one or more exhaust valves 122, and a moveable piston 148 or 420 that can be annularly surrounded by piston rings 145A-C.

[0040] As described above, the combustion chamber assembly 200 can include one or more inserts capable of acting as thermal flywheels to receive, block, reflect, retain, insulate, or transfer heat. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the combustion chamber assembly 200 can include valve inserts on the intake valve and the exhaust valve facing the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber assembly 200 can further include a piston insert attached or incorporated within the piston. The positioning of the piston insert can thereby inhibit heat from combustion from migrating below the piston insert and the piston rings. In further embodiments, the combustion chamber assembly 200 can include additional piston inserts located on other or additional surfaces of the piston and/or in components of the engine head. In operation, the one or more inserts protect the engine by converting or retaining the heat in the combustion chamber rather than allowing it to impact the engine durability and efficiency as in conventional embodiments. Such inserts can further direct and reradiate the heat from the combustion event through an exhaust port to deliver more energy to another application such as an electrolyzer, thermochemical reactor or turbo expander motor.

[0041] In further embodiments, the combustion chamber inserts heat transfer features and pathways (also referred to as passageways) can be oriented at the same or different angles relative to one another. One or more of the inserts can be aligned in an orientation transverse to the movement of heat from combustion.

[0042] Figure 3 is a schematic view of an engine and exhaust train assembly 300 configured in accordance with other embodiments of the disclosure. Assembly 300 can include subsystems such as engine 100 described above with reference to Figure 1A. For example, the combustion chamber embodiment can include an injector 102 configured to provide fluid such as fuel or coolant, illustrated by spray lines 147, 149, 151 that can be continuous or intermittent penetrations into combustion chamber 146. The combustion chamber assembly can further include one or more intake valves 120 and one or more exhaust valves 122 that allow fluid flow into and out of the combustion chamber 146, respectively, and a piston 148 connected to a crank shaft to convert pressure from expanding gas in the combustion chamber into work. Heat loss blocking thermal flywheel combustion chamber inserts such as 232, 234, 236, 238, 404, 410, 406, 408, etc., can provide higher engine efficiency along with higher quality higher temperature exhaust gases to exhaust train components such as turbochargers, thermochemical reactors, and/or extraction devices such as water removal systems, and/or constituent separation membranes.

[0043] Figures 4A and 4B illustrate a combustion chamber assembly 400 according to a representative embodiment that incorporates the insert technology disclosed herein. Assembly 400 includes a first sealing surface 422 and a second sealing surface opposite the first sealing surface. An insulative portion extends between the first and second sealing surfaces, wherein the insulative portion comprises a synthetic matrix characterization of crystals that is configured to control heat transfer in the combustion chamber, such as chamber 446. In this embodiment, gasket 200 includes a periphery portion 402 including high surface features. In representative embodiments, the insulative portion (e.g., insert configurations 402, 404, 406, 407 408, 409) may be comprised of a high thermal diffusivity barrier material, such as, for example and without limitation, plasma coated heat blocking ceramic, cermet, and super alloy films, as well as the materials described above. Gasket 200 has a thickness T which can, in some embodiments, accommodate a piston, such as those described more fully below with respect to Figures 6A-6B. In some embodiments, cylinder head gasket 200 may further comprise instrumentation 202 and 204, such as temperature and/or pressure sensors, which are well known in the art. In other embodiments, gasket 200 may also include optical instrumentation in combustion chamber components such as in valves 412 and 414. As shown in Figure 4B, instrumentation in 410 and optical instrumentation in 412 and 402 and 404 may extend between the first and second sealing surfaces of gasket 200 in order to access the combustion chamber.

[0044] Figure 5 illustrates a cylinder head gasket 500 according to another representative embodiment that provides sealing of combustion chambers such as 504 and/or other chambers of multi-cylinder engines. Materials such as one or more ceramic fiber paper layers such as silicon carbide fibers bonded by silicon-nitride and/or silicon oxide or other materials, graphite-steel, and carbon-graphite composites are suitable for operation of combustion chamber interface surfaces such as gasket 200 and/or upper cylinder sleeve 536 and/or 510/528 on piston 520 and/or 532/534 on valves 512 and/or 514 at higher temperature and/or with deposit prevention and/or heat collection and removal thermal cycles including combustion products produced by homogeneous or stratified combustion or expanding fuel pattern 513 in chamber 504. Such materials accommodate integration of devices such as fiber optic or insulated conductor connected instrumentation assemblies 508A and/or 508B for monitoring and measuring the temperature, pressure, fuel injection projections and patterns within the combustion chamber along with component positions and accelerations. Assembly 500 may also incorporate additional components such as computers and/or microprocessors 509A and/or 509B to control fluid dispensing valves and conduits or circuits such as 240A-D and/or 241 A-D and/or 516 and/or flow pathways 242A, 243A, 242B, 243B for occasionally administering fluids for cooling, cleaning, or participation in ignition or other combustion events within the combustion chamber. [0045] Illustratively, water and/or other condensates such as may be provided for in stationery engines and/or collected from the exhaust of engines particularly including transportation engines may be occasionally sprayed into the combustion chamber through fluid circuits 240A-D and/or 241 A-D and/or 516 to produce cooling, cleaning, or boosting of exhaust gas production of work in a subsequent engine such as a turbo expander driving a compressor and/or generator. In some embodiments, circuits 240A-D and/or 241 A-D and/or 516 provide seepage or pressure sprays of fluids occasionally including ionized fluid to improve ignition efficiency and may be adaptively utilized in one or more combustion chambers including combustion chambers that are selected for combustion while others are not during requirements for part-load engine operation. Such, systems and methods for improved engine cooling and energy generation are disclosed in co-pending U.S. Patent papers including Application No.13/584,775, filed August 13, 2012, the disclosure and related disclosures which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0046] Figures 6A and 6B illustrate an injector assembly 600A that may have portions connected to or be incorporated in one or more locations in gasket 200 of embodiment 500 and/or subsystem embodiment 516 and utilized according to a representative embodiment disclosed in US 20140130773 which is included herein by reference. Accordingly certain embodiments can include operation with a mechanical amplifier valve operator and/or a solenoid valve operator assembly 603, 605, 619, 629A, 620, 625, 630, 626, 654, 658, 656 and/or hydraulic valve actuator 600B as shown in Figure 6B including chamber 695, engine driven camshaft 690, piston 693, check valve 698, 697, delivery line 694, body 629B, valve 692, delivery circuit 699- 657B to provide injection and/or suitable ignition capabilities for operation of a combustion chamber when in operation.

[0047] Embodiments such as 600A, 700 can be utilized as injector 102, 10500, 987 and/or as one or more injectors in gasket 200 or 10250 to provide injection from ports such as 10264A, B, etc., to produce , pilot or enhance combustion patterns such as 10241 A and/or 10241 B etc. Fluid selections can be delivered from one or more sources selected through filters and/or passageways 657A, 657B, 688 within insulator 642 and case 602, to one or more radial or axial valves and/or passageways 670, 683, 669, 724, 758, 766, 767, 770 to combustion chamber 712, 958, 960, 962, 958, 981 , 985 to serve engine 991 and/or turbo 989 including other selections through fittings 638A, 638B, 737A, etc.

[0048] In certain embodiments the combustion chamber includes inserts such as can provide piston surfaces such as 404, 410, 407, or 510 and/or other inserts such as 532, 534, 536 comprising insulative and/or heat transfer portions including a synthetic matrix characterization of crystals shown in Figures 2D, E, F as further disclosed in US patent application 13/027,214 which is entirely incorporated herein by reference for configured control of heat transfer in the combustion chamber. This includes the performance of features 204, 208, 212A, 212B, 258C, 254C, 241 C, 256C, 224, 264B, 290, 292, 294 as disclosed. In an illustrative embodiment to improve combustion chamber performance gasket 200 can utilize such materials and as can embodiments 404, 406, 407, 410 of piston 420, which can include a topography comprising a series of concentric rings that create a series of peaks and valleys. Such rings can be arranged in convex or concave configurations. These peaks and valleys increase the surface area of the piston surface and consequently the heat control of insulative and heat transfer functions. In addition, the topography of piston surface can also create a transient pressure pattern in the combustion chamber during compression and/or expansion in order to beneficially affect combustion outcomes as depicted in Figures 2G, H, and I by ion current shaping 237 and/or by acoustic and/or microwave interactions 216A-218A.

[0049] Figures 7A and 7B illustrate additional injector embodiments 700 for incorporation within or in conjunction with gasket 200 and/or injector 102 according to another representative embodiment. Injector 700 can be similar to injector 600A and/or subsystem 600B described above. In operation various fluid selections at various pressures can be controlled by valve operators 720, 726, 722, 723, 756, 727A, 737A, 754, 757 and delivered through gasket 200 and/or another similar embodiment in the position of injector 102.

[0050] Figures 8A and 8B illustrate a sub-system features 804, 806, 807, 808, 810, 81 1 , 812, 814, 815, 816, 818, of assembly 800 for regenerative endothermic dissociation of a feedstock such as CxH _y (i.e. CH ₄ ) to produce carbon and hydrogen as further disclosed in US patent applications 62/004,802 and 14/290,789 which are entirely incorporated herein by reference. Also disclosed herein is a combustion chamber insert retrofit kit. In some embodiments, the kit includes a gasket, such as any of those described above, along with at least one piston, such as any of those described above. As disclosed above with respect to Figures 4A and 4B, the gasket may have a thicknesses Τι, T2 or 10280 as shown in Figure 10A that accommodates the piston's insulative portion and/or the topography of the replacement pistons and/or sub-systems incorporated in gasket 200 or 10250 without changing the overall combustion chamber volume.

[0051] In other embodiments, the gasket thickness can be adjusted to change combustion chamber volume and/or compression ratio to produce the same, greater, or reduced compression ratio. Illustratively for a given thickness of gasket 200 compared to the thickness of conventional gasket, the inside diameter of gasket 200 can be the same, smaller or larger than the diameter of piston 148 to provide the same resulting compression ratio or to adjust an original compression ratio such as 16:1 (i.e. for a diesel engine) downward to about 8:1 or lower or upward to about 22:1 or higher.

[0052] Similarly the thickness 10280 of gasket 10250 and the inside diameter 10228 can be coordinated to enable original equipment manufacturers or engine rebuilders to improve engine performance for a wide variety of applications and selections of injected fluids such as fuels and coolants. An exemplary application for improved engine performance with landfill gases can provide such coordinated gasket dimensions to reduce the compression ratio from 16:1 (i.e. for diesel fuel compression ignition) to 14:1 or less for spark, Lorentz, corona or chemical plasma agent ignition. In other instances the same engine components including the head, block, pistons, crankshaft, etc., can provide improved engine performance with hydrogen using such coordinated dimensions of gasket 10250 to increase the compression ratio from 16:1 (i.e. for diesel fuel compression ignition) to 18:1 or higher for spark, Lorentz, corona or chemical plasma agent ignition.

[0053] Many of the details, dimensions, angles, shapes, and other features shown in the Figures are merely illustrative of particular embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, other embodiments can have other details, dimensions, angles, and features without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. For example, the embodiments disclosed herein can be used with various types of engines or related systems known in the art. In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that further embodiments of the disclosure can be practiced without several of the details described below.

[0054] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the occurrences of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning of the claimed disclosure.

[0055] It will be apparent that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words "comprise," "comprising," and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in a sense of "including, but not limited to." Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number, respectively. When the claims use the word "or" in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

[0056] Features of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of the disclosure can be modified, if necessary, to employ combustion chamber assemblies with various configurations, and concepts of the various patents, applications, and publications to provide yet further embodiments of the disclosure. [0057] These and other changes can be made to the disclosure in light of the above detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the disclosure to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all systems and methods that operate in accordance with the claims. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the disclosure, but instead its scope is to be determined broadly by the following claims.

[0058] The present application incorporates by reference in their entirety the subject matter of each of the following U.S. Patent Applications:

[0059] U.S. Patent Application Number 13/027,051 , titled, "Fuel Injector Assemblies Having Acoustical Force Modifiers and Associated Methods of Use and Manufacture," filed February 14, 201 1 ; U.S. Patent Application No. 13/027,214 titled, "Architectural Construct Having For Example a Plurality of Architectural Crystals," filed February 14, 201 1 ; U.S. Patent Application Number 13/027,170, titled, "Methods and Systems for Adaptively Cooling Combustion Chambers in Engines," filed February 14, 201 1 .

[0060] Further Embodiments

[0061] The present invention converts carbon and hydrogen donors such as CxH _y to carbon and hydrogen by anaerobic processes as summarized in Equation 1 .

[0062] CxHy + HEAT -» xC + 0.5yH ₂ Equation 1

[0063] Illustratively, ubiquitous methane from renewable or fossil sources is converted to carbon and hydrogen as shown in Equation 2.

[0064] CH ₄ + HEAT C +2H ₂ Equation 2

[0065] Carbon produced by carbon donor dissociation reactions such shown in Equations 1 and 2 is utilized to reinforce equipment to harness solar, wind, moving water, geothermal and other renewable energy resources. Such carbon can also improve architectural materials and systems along with transportation components that are lighter than aluminum and stronger than steel. Utilizing such carbon to produce durable goods reduces or eliminates greenhouse gas contributions to the global atmosphere.

[0066] Ammonia and/or other nitrogenous compounds such as depicted by urea are converted by combining hydrogen such as produced by Equation 2 with nitrogen and a suitable carbon donor as depicted by carbon dioxide in exemplary Equation 3.

[0067] N2 + 3H2 + CO2 -» NHs + NH2CONH2 + H2O Equation 3

[0068] It is apparent that hydrogen and nitrogen react at high temperature and pressure to form ammonia and that carbon dioxide reacts with such ammonia to form ammonium carbamate (NH2COONH ₄ ) which then dissociates into urea and water vapor. This process is summarized in Equation 3. In certain embodiments suitable pressurization for such processes including fuel, oxidant, and other reactants is provided by the compression cycle in one or more cylinders of an engine-reactor assembly and/or by a regenerative intensifier as disclosed in patent paper 61/789,666.

[0069] Similarly, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or from more concentrated sources such as the exhaust stack of a fossil fueled power plant, internal combustion engine (ICE) using a carbon donor fuel, bakery, brewery, anaerobic digester, ethanol plant, or mineral calciners is reacted with hydrogen to produce compounds such as methanol and other substances including multi-carbon fuel alcohols as illustratively shown for methanol production in Equation 4.

[0070] CO2 + 3H2 -» CH3OH + H2O Equation 4

[0071] Figure 1 A shows a system 100 utilizing an engine such as a converted gasoline or diesel engine (ICE) for conversion of carbon dioxide, a carbon and/or hydrogen donor such as methane, and/or hydrogen such as from the reaction of Equation 1 , and nitrogen such as may be provided along with oxygen from the atmosphere into compounds such as methanol, ammonia and urea. The integrated fuel injector and ignition system 100 can provide adjustment of the fuel injection pattern, multiple injections, spark ignition and/or Lorentz-ion acceleration and thrusting and/or corona plasma projection into the combustion chamber. [0072] Figures 2A, B and C show an integrated head gasket system 200 of sensors such as 222, 224, 226, 228, 230 and corona plasma generating antenna such as 202, 204, 206, 208 and 210 and fluid control valves such as 264A and 264B along with controller 154B for improved operation of an engine. Gasket assembly 200 provides an assembly of materials and components to perform conventional head gasket functions and to perform new functions by incorporating antenna for corona plasma generation, sensors to detect pressure, temperature, patterns of fuel injection and combustion, and circuit components such as one or more capacitors (i.e. 258), resistors (i.e. 256), inductors (i.e. 254), fiber optics through passageways such as 784, and/or in selected places including coaxial and parallel to antenna 208, 226, 240A-D, 241 A-D, fiber optics 508B, 614, 784; CNTs and/or other sensors (i.e. 204), microprocessors (i.e. 154A, 154B, 260, 509B, 622A, etc.), and conductors in suitable circuits to produce DC pulsed corona or adaptively variable frequency radiation such as infrared, visible, UV, terahertz, microwave, and RF and ultra-high radio frequency at adaptively variable intensity to induce or contribute to induction of corona plasma ignition of fuel constituents and air in the combustion chambers that are served.

[0073] In some applications gasket assembly includes a feature such as one or more annular rings, circumferential segments, sensor devices or other components with suitable forms and functions that serve as thermal flywheels and/or energy conversion systems for gaining, holding, and/or blocking and utilizing the flow of thermal, pressure, and/or radiant energy that would ordinarily be transferred to coolant that is circulated through the engine block and/or head components and wastefully rejected to the environment. In response to temperature control instrumentation a power cooling cycle is occasionally utilized to transfer heat from such thermal flywheels into fluid substances such as fuel alcohols and/or water including solutions of such substances that may be injected during the intake, compression or power strokes to produce work upon expansion during the power stroke of engine operation. Thermal flywheels may extend into the combustion chamber in various appropriate geometries that complement suitable piston, valve, and head geometries for purposes of providing desired compression ratio, swirl induction and/or interaction, and volumetric efficiency along with increasing or otherwise accommodating the space available in gasket assembly 200 for voltage containment materials, sensors, conduits, wave guides and/or corona production components. [0074] Gasket assembly 200 of Figures 2A, B, and C is installed between the engine head and the block assembly to induce, enlarge and otherwise provide plasma initiation and acceleration of reactions such as shown by Equations 3 and/or 4. Assembly also includes instrumentation that monitors the penetration and combustion and/or reaction pattern of fluid injection such as hydrogen and/or methane from injector 102 and/or valves 264A and/or 264B to add or remove fluids from the combustion chamber.

[0075] In some embodiments, various fluid injection devices can be incorporated within gasket 200 including oxidant and/or fuel injection and/or ignition systems such as disclosed in copending U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/033532, entitled, "FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM," filed on or before August 5, 2013; U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/059854 entitled "SHUTTLE VALVE, PLASMA ENABLED VARNISH REMOVAL SYSTEM AND METHODS THEREFOR" filed on or before October 4, 2014; U.S. Provisional Application entitled, "ADAPTIVELY CONTROLLED PIEZOELECTRIC ACTUATOR", Attorney Docket 069545-8349US, filed on or before January 17, 2014 and International Patent Application No. PCT/US13/69761 , entitled, "CHEMICAL FUEL CONDITIONING AND ACTIVATION", filed on November 12, 2013. Each of these disclosures are included as references herein.

[0076] Figure 2E shows atomic, crystalline and/or molecular features of an architectural construct that includes a first layer 212A and a second layer 212B of a matrix characterization of crystals. In this embodiment, the first layer 212A is illustratively rotated 30 degrees relative to the adjacent layer. In alternative embodiments, the first layer may be rotated more or less than 30 degrees relative the adjacent or second layer. In some implementations, the first layer of an architectural construct includes a first substance, such as carbon, and the second layer of the construct includes a second substance, such as boron nitride. Layers composed of or doped with different substances may not appear planar as larger molecules may warp or increase the separation of planar surfaces. As further detailed below, some properties of an architectural construct are influenced by the orientation of its layers relative to one another. For example, a designer can rotate or shift the first layer of a construct relative to the second layer of the construct so that the construct exhibits particular optical or catalytic properties, including a specific optical grating and/or chemical process improvement.

[0077] Figure 21 is a cross-sectional diagram of a system 100 for determining temperature and/or pressure of a combustion chamber, such as those found in heat engines such as gas turbines, rotary combustion engine, and the like configured in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure.

[0078] The system 100 generates ions 237from fuel and/or constituents of the oxidant in the combustion chamber. Thus, ions 237 may be generated from oxygen, nitrogen, water vapor, hydrogen, ammonia, methane, propane, ethane, methanol, ethanol or more complex fuel constituents. The system 100 determines temperature and/or pressure by the ion life and distribution by measuring and characterizing the magnitude, duration and trend of ionic currents between the electrode components of a combined plasma generator and fuel injector 102 and/or the insert sensors 234B, 232B, 238B, 238A and 236B in the thermal dam and power producing and/or cooling inserts 238, 236 and 232 of the combustion chamber such as the head components including intake valve 120, exhaust valve 122, piston 148, and cylinder wall insert 232 in the engine assembly.

[0079] In some embodiments additional information including the radiation emissions from such ions and surrounding particles and surfaces are monitored by dynamic sensors having radiation and/or pressure transducers 234A, 232A, and/or 236A as shown including appropriate counterparts and components in other engines such as gas turbines, and various rotary engines.

[0080] In operation, ionizing voltage is delivered to electrodes such as 686 and 684 or 770 and 772 and/or such ionizing events may be powered by suitable high voltage generator such as piezoelectric components within assembly 100 or 600A or 700 by conversion of pressure energy from the combustion chamber or from a mechanical device such as a cam to produce required strain. In some embodiments, sufficient ionization and/or maintenance of ion populations is aided by the voltage gradient between such electrodes and desired zones of inserts 200, 402, 404, 406, 408-409 and 410, as shown. Information from the dynamic sensors are sent to microprocessor 154A and/or to a computer that is external to assembly 100 for purposes of adaptive operation and control of fuel injection and ignition events. Signals from the dynamic sensors may be reported by suitable wireless frequencies, optical couplings, or by wired connections including various suitable combinations.

[0081] In various embodiments, information reported by dynamic sensors can be used for adaptive control. For instance, the reported information can be used to control the operation of the valves (e.g., 120, 122) (i.e., linear engine capability), operation of a tip magnet (not shown) to adjust plasma flow pattern, monitoring of ion flow (e.g., in response to speed of valve opening), monitoring the beginning, duration and end of combustion, and products of combustion, monitoring various conditions to optimize overall engine efficiency, and the like.

[0082] Figure 2J illustrates a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a portion of an injector 244 having fibers 248 projecting out of the injector for carrying radiation 246 and/or other information such as temperature, pressure, presence or absence of certain products of combustion, etc., from the combustion chamber to transducer 260 illustrated in Figure 2K, for example. The fibers 248 allow flexibility in the placement of the dynamic sensors. The actual event data can be read by an optic reader, carried or transported by the optic fibers and distributed to dynamic sensor nodes that are placed outside of the combustion chamber, or away from the source of the event that is to be detected or measured. The fibers 248 may be coated or covered with insulation or other protective material to withstand the high pressure and temperature conditions inside the combustion chamber. For example, in some instances, the fiber head and fiber body may be protected using sapphire bead. In other instances, non-optic fiber structures such as grapheme structures that enable temperature insulation while allowing capture of data can be used.

[0083] Figure 2K is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a pressure or temperature transducer 260 based on a Fabry or Bragg mirror. The transducer 260 includes a pressure tube having sealed ends. The tube can be made of solid fiber, which has different locations within it that act as partial mirrors or reflectors 258 for reflecting incident light. The pressure tube includes a source or emitter 264 that emits light into the tube and a detector array including one or more photo -detectors for detecting light reflected from the partial mirrors inside the tube. The pressure tube is typically calibrated at ambient pressure. When light is emitted from the source/emitter 264 into the tube, some of the light is reflected off the partial mirrors. The light from the source/emitter 264 can interfere with light that is reflected from the partial mirrors to create an interference pattern that can be detected by the photo -detector array 262.

[0084] When the tube experiences an external pressure than exceeds the pressure inside the tube, the walls of the tube can collapse or deform. Using the Poisson effect, and material properties such as modulus of elasticity of the tube fiber, the strain on the tube wall can be determined, and correlated to the pressure acting on the tube wall. Alternately, the deformed or collapsed wall can produce a change in the interference pattern detected by the detector array 262. From the changed interference pattern, the change in pressure (from ambient pressure), or the actual pressure can be determined.

[0085] The same transducer 260 can be used to measure temperature. The effects of factors such as pressure may need to be decoupled to determine the temperature more accurately. For example, depending on the coefficient of expansion of the fiber, the tube walls can absorb energy and expand, thereby changing the interference pattern detected at the detector array 262.

[0086] In one embodiment, the source or emitter 264 may be one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). The LEDs may be powered by the energy harvested from events in a combustion chamber, for example. In an alternate embodiment, the source or emitter 264 may be radiation from the combustion chamber. The radiation from the combustion chamber may include different wavelengths of light (e.g., Infrared, visible spectrum, etc.). The spatial resolution of the detector array may depend on the wavelength of radiation from the combustion chamber or the wavelength of the LED light that act as the source/emitter 264.

[0087] In certain embodiments, the material choices, designed functions, and configuration of gasket assembly 200 enables an engine to be converted to serve as a chemical reactor 250 for various operations including conversion of thermoset or thermoplastic filaments into carbon fiber. An illustrative example provides conveyance such as reel-to-reel tensioning and presentation of filament 255 in combustion chamber 239C where it is heated and/or converted in zone 257 by one or more cycles of piston reciprocation to cause hydrogen and/or other impurities to be released as a precursor such as thermoplastic selections such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, rayon, polyacrylonitrile, or cellulose is converted to a graphite fiber.

[0088] Rhythmic or occasional irregular piston 148 reciprocation and control of inlet and outlet valves 1 14, 120 and 122 can produce virtually any desirable pressure from vacuum to 150 bar or higher pressure along with adaptively adjusted chemical content of the conversion atmosphere including cyclic additions of atmospheric agents and removal of reaction process products. Such conversion process control further includes various selections of endothermic energy for the reactions indicated including combustion of a fuel such as hydrogen and/or other fuel constituents released by the conversion process and/or reactants, fuel, or oxidant selections that may be introduced from conduits 1 16, 1 18, or by injector 102 from conduits 104, 106, or 108 and/or electric resistive, inductive, RF, microwave or another suitably induced plasma heating including sputtering and CVD processes.

[0089] Process energy, impetus and/or other process conditions for such conversion may be provided by any suitable method or combination of methods including plasma such as may be induced by DC nano-second pulses, RF or microwave radiation 216A, 218A from generators or wave guides 216 and/or 218; combustion of fuel such as hydrogen, ammonia, carbon monoxide, or another reactant or fuel constituent with an oxidant admitted through manifold 1 16 and/or 1 18 such as air, oxygen, ozone, or a halogen; radiation from a parallel and/or coaxial resistive or inductive heating element; conduction by gases heated by such sources and/or other suitable sources. In other embodiments filament such as one or more graphite, silicon carbide, boron nitride, and/or refractory metal, glass, or ceramic fibers can be presented by similar reel 251 -to-reel 253 arrangements in gasket 200 to receive a suitable donor material such as condensed paraffin, vegetable and/or animal lipids whereby suitable heating of such substances produces deposits of single atom or multiple atom thick nanotubes, graphene of various extents and configurations including chips and scrolls, spheres, ellipsoids, DLC or abrasive diamond-studded surfaces. Arrangements to provide multiple pathways through conversion chamber 239C include any number of additional reel-to-reel relays, guide bearings, turn posts and other arrangements to effectively improve the controlled tensioning and growth of desired embodiments on the converted fiber.

[0090] In certain embodiments fiber treated in one combustion chamber can be successively treated in additional chambers of a multicylinder engine while other cylinders are operated in power production modes. Similarly most or all the combustion chambers of an engine can be converted to such fiber conversion operations and one or more additional engines can be coupled to provide torque and adaptive operation of the converted engine.

[0091] In some instances the fuel gases that are produced and/or provided by such fiber conversion operations can be provided to one or more combustion or fuel cell operations. Illustratively such fuel gases can be utilized in one or more fiber conversion and/or combustion processes such as can be performed in the chambers of the same engine or an associated engine.

[0092] In an exemplary embodiment a fiber can be selected or produced to provide suitable substrate properties such as chemical composition, crystal orientation, strength, modulus of elasticity, etc., and subsequently treated as shown in Figure 2C. Various treatments can be selected to provide fiber that has additions such as shown in Figures 2D, 2E, 2F, 2L along with other geometries and properties. In one embodiment the fiber that is presented for conversion receives a coating or impregnation of a suitable carrier such as petrolatum, dimethicone, hydrogenated vegetable, animal or mineral oil, fractionated coconut oil, palm oil, lard, tallow, polyvinyl alcohol and/or various other alcohols that can be utilized to deliver chemical conversion agents. In certain exemplary embodiments chemical conversion agents such as ammonia, urea, metal carbonyl, and/or other intermediaries that are dissolved, suspended, or adsorbed to or within suitable particles of functionalized graphene structures such as disclosed in US patent application 13/027214 are selected.

[0093] Upon heating in the combustion chamber reactor the original fiber such as curvilinear, twisted or straight configurations 221 or 233 can become coated with single wall or multiple wall nanotubes 227, graphene chips 229, spheres 223 or ellipsoids 225, diamond 231 or other allotropic features. Figure 2L shows exaggerated illustrations of high surface area developments and specializations that are added to single or multiple straight or twisted strands 221 or 233 that can consist largely of one or more graphene layers or chips, scrolls, ellipsoids, spheres, diamond platelets, and nanotubes.

[0094] In certain embodiments this provides a nano-Velcro-like interlocking or adherence to other fibers that are similarly converted for applications including improved fiber reinforcement of composite structures. In other embodiment applications such architectural constructs including nanostructures of rods, tubes, chips, spheres and/or ellipsoids 223 and/or 225 are added to suitable core filaments of selected materials and further heat treated in the same or subsequent combustion chambers to provide conversion of some of the precursor structures to bonded diamond particles to produce an abrasive wire that can be used in wire EDM machines to cut materials with or without the spark discharge features. This enables cutting patterns and features in substrate materials such as glass and ceramics particularly including composite structures that can include conductive and nonconductive components along with conductive materials such as metal alloys.

[0095] The engine reactor assembly includes combustion chamber 146, piston 148, intake valve 120, exhaust valve 122 and one or more fluid inlet selector valves 1 16 and 1 18 to allow introduction of fluid choices such as methane, ethane, propane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen etc., form conduit 1 16 through valve 1 14 and intake valve 120 into combustion chamber 146 during the intake stroke of piston assembly 148. Additional fluid selections such as vaporized paraffins, plant and/or animal lipids or various other reactants through conduit 1 18 and intake valve 120 may be admitted in parallel or serial flows to produce suitable carbon, boron, nitrogen etc., donors to form a wide variety of specialized and/or functionalized fiber such as fuzzy fiber, diamond studded abrasive fiber, DLC surfaced fibers of various core compositions including graphite, boron nitride, silicon carbide and various refractory metal selections.

[0096] Reactor process conditions can be adaptively adjusted in response to sensors 248 in injector 102, valve inserts 236 and/or 238 and sensors such as 236A, 236B, 238A, or 238B; various sensors in gasket 200 and/or cylinder insert 232 such as 232A, 232B, 232C and various process fluids can be provided in proportions as modulated by supply pressures and operation of valves 1 10, 1 12, 102, 264A, 264B. Reactants such as hydrogen or other fluid selections may be admitted into combustion and/or reaction chamber 146 through conduits 104, 106, 108 and injector 102. Methane may be admitted into combustion and/or reaction chamber 146 through conduit 108 and valve 1 10 through injector 102. Other fluid selections including oxygen and/or nitrogen or and/or silanes, other substances can be introduced from conduit 106 through valve 1 12 and injector 102 as shown. Such fluid injections may be separated bursts 147, 149, and 151 and/or mixtures of selected reagents or recycled substances as continuous or burst events to produce greater surface area suitable for the reactions that are facilitated.

[0097] Such oxygen and/or hydrogen can be produced by electrolysis using electricity from as suitable sources such as may be developed by a suitable generator that is mechanically driven by the engine-reactor system. Alternatively carbon dioxide and methane and/or hydrogen can be produced by anaerobic processes such as thermal dissociation and/or wet digestion of organic substances to further provide beneficial utilization of waste heat from the engine-reactor.

[0098] Heat assisted reactions such as the preparation of steam by combustion of a hydrogen donor and an oxygen donor including hydrogen and air and/or oxygen can be provided as stratified heat releases to improve reaction efficiency. Reactions may be induced or accelerated by compression, spark, Lorentz accelerated ion patterns, and/or plasma produced by corona discharge in reactant mixtures and may be shaped to patterns of injection and/or to zones between corona induction antenna sites such as locations 204 and/or 202, 206 and/or 208 and/or 152.

[0099] Important advantages of creating electric fields by features of gasket 200 include production of corona in relatively high pressure gas inventories and/or modification of such corona by selected or variable frequency such as 10 MegaHertz to 25 GigaHertz for purposes of creating more activated fuel particles and/or oxidant ions including initiation of ion production and/or formation of radical chemical states in patterns that include speed of sound shock events and/or at surfaces of mixing fuel and air and/or at piston, valve, or upper surface regions of the combustion chamber to stimulate accelerated combustion and/or to eliminate varnish or other buildup of residue.

[00100] After producing plasma, temperature and/or pressure assisted reaction conditions the products along with unreacted reactants are swept during the exhaust stroke from the combustion chamber into the exhaust reactor zones 126, 128, 130, 132, and/or 134 each of which may provide and present suitable catalysts, residence time and/or heat transfers for the indicated reactions to continue and that may be endothermic or exothermic and are accordingly provided with heat addition by heating elements such as 142 or removal by cooling elements such as 144 in selected zones as needed to improve the reaction rates and/or yields.

[00101] Accordingly, one or more reactions may be facilitated in a combustion chamber and subsequently by catalyst and reaction conditions produced in zones 126, 128, 130, 132 and/or 134. In other embodiments, such engine enabled processes along with various other complementary or beneficial reactions are provided by the systems disclosed in US 2012/0149786 and/or US 201 1/0220040 and/or Docket 695458624 US.

[00102] Figure 3 shows a schematic view of a typical multi-cylinder engine including a head assembly with intake and exhaust valves, head gasket, and block assembly with pistons, cam and crank shafts. Modifications to the head may include improvements to the cooling system, removal of back-work and friction producing subsystems such as 20,000 to 30,000 PSI diesel or gasoline fuel injection pumps and modifications to mount new fuel metering and ignition components.

[00103] In certain embodiments fluid injectors 102, 600A, or 700 such as shown in Figures 3, 6A, 6B, 7A, 7B along with heat exchangers and processes shown in Figure 8A enable any cylinder of an engine to operate interchangeably or sequentially as a power producer and/or reactor. In some applications combustion chamber inserts such as disclosed in pending patent application Docket 695458318US1 and/or Figures 4A, 4B, and 5 may serve as thermal flywheels and/or catalysts and/or to present catalysts in conjunction with transfers of endothermic or exothermic energy suitable for improved reaction rate and efficiency. [00104] In certain applications thermal management systems include heat transfer barriers and/or heat flywheels 410, 406, and 408. Surface presentations of catalysts on high surface areas 409, 402, 404 and/or 534 facilitate reactions such as the processes shown in Equations 3 and 4. Similar heat management and catalyst presentations are provided by combinations such as 408 and 409; 404 and 410; 404 and 407; 406 and 402; 510 and 528; 532 and 534 as shown.

[00105] In some applications, flywheel 172 is provided with increased inertia to provide suitable storage of energy from power producing operations and rapid application of such stored energy to improve the rate and/or efficiency of process reactions in selected combustion chambers and/or in subsequent reaction zones such as 126, 128, 130, 132 and/or 134. In some embodiments a multi-cylinder engine- reactor utilizes selected cylinders as power producers and other cylinders as reactors.

[00106] The same or alternate combustion chambers of a multi-cylinder engine may be utilized to process unconverted reactants such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen and nitrogen into compounds such as ammonia and/or urea and/or various amines. Compared to conventional systems this new system for controlling reactant flows coupled with adaptive control of temperature and/or pressure by control valve 136 for each cylinder enables significant cost reduction for producing fuel alcohols, ammonia, urea, and numerous other substance choices. Such capabilities are especially useful for producing very low cost net-hydrogen fuels that can be stored in repurposed gasoline or diesel fuel storage tanks and vessels.

[00107] Similarly, other combustion chambers and/or adjacent reaction zones similar to 126, 128, 130 132 and/or 134 may be utilized to produce various other products such as the exemplary formation of methylamine (CH3NH2) by reaction of ammonia and methanol or another donor of a methyl group. Illustratively ammonia may be produced in a selected cylinder, methanol or another methyl donor may be produced in another cylinder and either cylinder and/or another cylinder and/or another reaction zone such as 126, 128, 130, 132, or 134 may be utilized to produce a desirable product such as methylamine. Products such as methyl or other amines can be blended with alcohols such as methanol and/or urea to increase the energy density and reduce vapor pressure and/or to impart an easily distinguished odor for safely alerting a fuel user of the presence of a leak and/or to provide other characteristics such as distinguishing flame spectra for combustion chamber process monitoring and/or for fire safety recognition.

[00108] In operation, the converted engine compactly and efficiently meters, moves, pressurizes or depressurizes, heats or cools, and appropriately activates reactants by ionization, radiation, corona, pressure and/or heat for one or more chemical productions. In instances that it is needed, engine system 100 rapidly supplies combustion sourced heat, expansive work production, kinetic energy storage to and from various cylinders through the crank-shaft and flywheel, for processes in one or more combustion and/or reaction chambers 146 and continuing reactions at suitable pressure produced by work of piston 148 and adaptive control by pressure regulator valves 136A, 136B, 136C, 136D, and/or 136E in zones such as 126, 128, 130, 132, and/or 134 any one or all of which may present suitable reaction enhancing catalysts at optimally maintained temperature. Further optimization of operations for greater overall process efficiency and throughput is provided by utilization of adaptively selected fuel values remaining at various stages of synthesis reactions for power production by selected combustion chambers.

[00109] Reactions and products may thus be separate or combined depending upon process and product optimizations by controller 154. Performance of these functions is optimized by adaptive adjustments by controller 154 in response to data provided by sensors in assembly 200 and in reactor zones 126, 128, 130, 132, and/or 134 of temperature, pressure, mixing rate, dwell time, radiation and/or corona activation, product concentrations etc.

[00110] Fuel constituents flowing past valve 136 that are condensable can be collected in a spray condenser 158 such as shown in Figure 3 for liquid storage in vessel 164, which may be suitably cooled at desired rate by exchangers 174A and/or 174B with incoming fuel and/or process reactants and/or cooling water or the atmosphere. Pump 165 pressurizes the cooled condensate for spray collection of condensable constituents 160 that are admitted through valve 162 to storage in tank 164. Unreacted feedstocks and/or reaction intermediates including non-condensed hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, etc., can be collected from conduit 170 used as fuels in selected combustion chambers of the engine-reactor 100 to provide motive power production for the operations that produce fuel compounds of interest. Alternatively such non-condensed substances can be collected from conduit 170 for recycling as reactants to produce desired fuel constituents.

[00111] In instances that it is desired to separate fuel constituents valve 156 routes products from system 100 to a more or less conventional condenser tower 166 that is utilized to collect compounds according to various condensation temperatures. Non- condensed hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, etc., can be collected from conduit 168 and used as fuels and/or recycled reactants in selected combustion chambers of the engine-reactor 100 to provide motive power production for the operations that produce fuel compounds of interest such as fuel alcohols, DME, DEE, acetaldehyde formic acid, and other substances for applications such as chemical plasma ignition or acceleration of combustion completion in engine operations including introduction of such agents through suitable gasket ports such as 264A and 264B or through injector 102.

[00112] In certain homogeneous or stratified charge combustion embodiments selected ports of gasket 200 or 10250 and/or injector 102, 516, 600A, 700, or 10500 provide direct injection of chemical plasma ignition and/or combustion acceleration agents such as DME, DEE, acetaldehyde, formic acid, hydrogen and other substances. Illustrative processes for production of carbon and hydrogen as summarized by Equations 1 and/or 2 along with generation of such chemical plasma production agents as summarized by Equations 4B and 4C follows:

[00113] CxHy + H ₂ 0 -» DME, DEE, etc. + H2 Equation 4B

[00114] 2CH + H2O -» CH3OCH3 + 2H2 Equation 4C

[00115] Various alternate processes for participative generation of such chemical plasma agents and/or precursors such as methanol for such purposes are also disclosed in patent documents US 4,609,441 ; 4,623,634; 4,935,395; 5,767,165; 7,906,559; PCT/IB2010/054887; CA 2020929; CA 2093752 C; CN1043343C:

CA2508980 C and US5753716 al ^; of which are includ d herein hy reference. OPERATION

[00116] In operation, the retrofit system includes a new component that replaces the prior art head gasket and provides sensors for adaptive tuning to optimize performance and to enable diagnostic recording and/or reporting of emission- avoidance combustion regimes. The new component also provides sensors for a new combustion chamber power cooling system that administers timing and fluid metering operations to convert surplus combustion chamber heat into power.

[00117] In some embodiments selected sensors serve as energy harvesting devices to convert radiative (light), thermal, pressure, vibrational, and/or chemical energy into electrical energy to serve, assist, and/or operate the Lorentz, corona, and/or communication functions and/or to charge one or more capacitors or other storage devices for various energy conditioning circuits or longer term utilization of such energy. This reduces or eliminates requirements for conventional lead storage batteries and enables long shelf-life systems to be provided.

[00118] In certain embodiments combustion chambers 239A-D are energized for ignition and/or accelerated combustion by one or more RF generators 245 such as magnetrons that deliver outputs through one or more suitable wave guides 240A-D and/or 241 A-D and/or by more compact solid state RF generators in circuits 206 or 208 and/or by solid state generators in other inserts and/or that can be incorporated in injectors 102, 516, 600A, 700, or 10500. This provides adaptive response options to meet a wide variety of operations with cold or warm engines, altitude changes, fuel characteristics, and/or choices of chemical plasma generation agents. Various other components and subsystems 247 can be coupled through circuits, passageways and/or antenna to provide for the operation of combustion chambers 239A-D and/or other aspects of the engine.

[00119] Exhaust system components include a new exhaust manifold that includes a thermochemical reactor that separates hydrogen from other gases such as nitrogen or oxides of carbon to enable such other gases to perform stratified expansive cooling of air in the compression stroke and the hydrogen to perform stratified expansive heating of air along with combustion within compressed air to optimize expansive work production in the power stroke. Other components of the exhaust system include a new heat conserving outer tube that surrounds an inner tube to define an air or vacuum insulation zone, and a counter current heat exchanger to utilize heat H1 that is ordinarily wasted by rejection of engine coolant delivered heat to an air cooled radiator, heat H2 that is ordinarily wasted as hot exhaust gases are rejected into the atmosphere and energy H3 that is produced by regenerative braking systems, suspension springs and/or shock absorbers.

[00120] It is well known that it is advantageous to develop higher volumetric efficiency and higher thermal efficiency in an unthrottled piston engine compared to throttled engine operation. However, for low cetane rated fuels requiring electric ignition such as hot wire or spark ignition, difficult problems have persisted since the beginning of Diesel engine production. These problems have thwarted efforts to overcome dependence upon refinery processed crude oil to produce high cetane rated diesel fuels.

[00121] Efforts to utilize less expensive renewable and/or cleaner fuels such as natural gas, ethane, propane, butane, various fuel alcohols in place of diesel fuel have required inlet air to be throttled in order to provide suitable fuel/air ratios for hot-spot or improvements such as spark ignition to occur and combustion to be completed. Such throttling reduces volumetric and thermal efficiencies and generally requires complicated provisions such as rapidly adjusted throttle valves, carburetors, throttle body or port injectors and/or other provisions such as swirl mixing to produce homogeneous mixtures of fuel and air that are presented within a spark plug gap at the time that an ignition spark occurs.

[00122] In conventional systems if the narrowly adjusted fuel/air ratio for ignition is presented within the relatively spark gap within the combustion chamber at the time the spark occurs there may be a relatively slow chain reaction that proceeds at subsonic velocity as a chain reaction to hopefully combust most of the fuel present before quenching extinguishes the homogeneous mixture near combustion chamber surfaces. In addition to such compromised throttled operation on spark ignited fuels, greater heat losses to the piston, cylinder walls, and head components occur. Diesel engine power ratings are typically reduced by 30 to 50% for engines converted to less expensive natural gas and engine life can be compromised. [00123] The present invention provides for interchangeable operation of an engine in throttled or unthrottled modes to meet practical needs. Illustratively in this regard it is desirable in some embodiments to provide operation of a cold engine by throttling the inlet air to initially enable delivery of low pressure fuel for production of a suitable fuel/air ratio in a homogeneous charge to facilitate start-up. After sufficient electrical energy is available for fuel pressurization and/or thermal energy is available from the engine coolant (H1 ) and/or exhaust gases (H2) and/or from regenerative sources such as braking or shock absorbing in transportation engines, or by utilization of off peak power (H3) in stationary engines to drive an endothermic production of hydrogen, the engine is operated in an unthrottled mode with stratified charge combustion of hydrogen-characterized fuel.

[00124] By initiating or accelerating combustion at locations away from combustion chamber walls by ion thrusting and/or corona plasma generation, problems such as thermal quenching and objectionably slow combustion characteristics of spark plug ignition are overcome. In addition to improving thermal efficiency, this enables accommodation of fuels that would ordinarily be subject to knocking under warm operating and/or full load conditions.

[00125] Thermochemical Regeneration (TCR) using H1 and/or H2 and/or H3 to drive endothermic reactions can improve heat production upon combustion of the fuel products by 15 to 30%, provide favorable self-pressurization of fuel products that occupy greater volume than the feedstock compounds, and provide hydrogen- characterized combustion at up to nine (9) times greater rate to completion of combustion compared to the selected feedstock compound. Such hydrogen- characterized fuel combustion enables fuel to be injected and combusted after top dead center (TDC) and thus add the fuel injection pressure to the BMEP and greatly reduce heat losses to the combustion chamber and back work during the compression stroke.

[00126] Equations 5, 6, 7, and 8 illustratively show advantageous utilization of H1 and/or H2 and/or H3 to produce hydrogen or hydrogen-characterized fuels that combust up to nine (9) times faster than the primary fuel compounds including hydrocarbons (H _x C _y ) such as methane (CH ₄ ), or nitrogenous fuels such as ammonia (NH3) or urea (CH ₄ N20) or fuel alcohols such as methanol (CH3OH).

HxCy + yH ₂ 0 + (H1 , H2 and/or H3)-» yCO + (0.5x+y)H ₂ Equation 5

2NHs + (H1 , H2 and/or H3)-» 3H ₂ + N2 Equation 6

CH N ₂ 0 + (H1 , H2 and/or H3)-» 2H ₂ + N ₂ + CO Equation 7

CH3OH + (H1 , H2 and/or H3)-» 2H ₂ + CO Equation 8

[00127] In transportation application embodiments it is desirable to "empty" the tank in instances that fuels such as compressed ammonia and/or propane, butane, (LPG) and/or natural gas are stored as pressurized gases (CNG). In such embodiments, relatively high pressure fuel delivery and stratified charge operation until the tank pressure drops to a certain threshold is followed by intentional production of an intake vacuum to enable low pressure fuel delivery for a homogeneous charge mode operation provides a practical hybridized modes of operation to empty the tank and thus increase the range of vehicle travel.

[00128] In another mode of unthrottled engine operation to gain range by emptying the compressed gas fuel tank, relatively low pressure fuel selections such as those shown in Equations 5-8 are converted by endothermic utilization of H1 , H2 and/or H3 to hydrogen or hydrogen-characterized fuel that is directly injected before at or after bottom dead center BDC at a relatively low pressure into unthrottled air and ignited near, at, or after TDC for relatively higher volumetric and thermal efficiencies. This mode of operation is hydrogen-enabled to assure ignition and completion of combustion in an extremely wide range of fuel-air ratios to reduce the cost of equipment and energy expended. In some embodiments ignition is provided by RF, microwave or DC corona plasma that is induced by an electric field array that is produced by one or more antenna (e.g. 204, 206, 208, 210 etc.,) in head gasket 200 and/or by Lorentz thrust oxidant and/or fuel ions by injectors such as shown in Figures 1A and 1 B. In comparison with operation of a mechanical compressor to compress gaseous fuel for direct high pressure injection near TDC and empty the tank this mode of TCR hydrogen production and injection before, at, or after BDC greatly reduces initial capital equipment cost, maintenance expenses, and provides nearly the same if not superior net fuel efficiency while extending the vehicle range by nearly emptying the fuel tank.

[00129] Such hybridization of operational modes provides numerous advantages including:

[00130] The volumetric efficiency of any unthrottled IC piston engine is higher than the same engine when throttled.

[00131] The thermal efficiency of any unthrottled IC piston engine is higher than the same engine when throttled.

[00132] For equal horsepower-hours (HP-Hr) of operation the unthrottled engine will use less fuel.

[00133] And accordingly with a larger inventory of unthrottled air in the combustion chamber, more fuel can be combusted and completion of combustion will be accelerated to provide operation at higher torque and ultimate power production capacity compared to throttled operation.

[00134] Therefore, for most of the fuel to be efficiently utilized, most of the time, the engine is operated in an unthrottled mode with adaptive combinations of variously presented stratified charge fuel combustion patterns.

[00135] Along with unthrottled operation it is highly advantageous to introduce hydrogen and/or hydrogen-characterized fuel as a stratified charge fuel and to provide ignition ions that are Lorentz-thrust along with the pressure-drop flow of fuel. This provides additional impetus along with Joule-Thompson (J-T) Expansive Heating for accelerated combustion after TDC and enables fuel pressure to be added to the BMEP. Collateral benefits include reduced heat losses to the combustion chamber surfaces, reduced degradation of upper-cylinder lubrication films, and extended engine life.

[00136] Practical cold-engine start-up and various transient conditions provide partial TCR reformation of fuels such as the types shown in Equations 1 -8 and enable advantages that are proportionate but significant even if the amount of hydrogen directly injected is a reduced fraction of the total fuel energy introduced into the unthrottled air in the combustion chamber. Accordingly, virtually any degree of TCR production of hydrogen from any hydrogen-donor substance will improve ignition reliability, turn-down ratio, power production, and fuel economy. This is especially beneficial in unthrottled engine operations compared to throttled operation.

[00137] Lorentz ion production and thrusting of the current developed provides further advantages including the opportunity to initiate a small current across a relatively small gap and to greatly magnify the current as the impedance drops. An exemplary electrodes such as corona generators 202, 204 and 208 coaxial electrode assembly 800 in Figure 8 for such Lorentz ion thrusting as shown in Figures 6A, 7A and 8.

[00138] The small current initiator gap between electrode zones 685-686 and/or 770-772 allows ionization and production of an initial current at relatively small initial voltage applications such as 15kV to 40kV even in very high compression engines such as converted supercharged diesel engines that would require considerably larger spark plug gaps for operation at voltages of 40kV to 70kV. Utilization of corona plasma that is independently induced by antenna in assembly 200 enables the Lorentz ion injector system 100 to be operated with relatively small ion currents that provide desired fuel and/or oxidant ion patterns for serving as susceptors for very efficient corona plasma production and minimize erosion of electrodes such as 686 and 772 as shown in Figures 6A and 7A for use in gasket 200 and/or as injector 102.. This maximizes electrode life for minimization of maintenance expenses.

[00139] In present embodiments, upon Lorentz ion development of a small initial current, electrical impedance drops and a lower voltage current source can adaptively and very quickly produce the number of ions desired for multitudes of ignition ions to be thrust into the combustion chamber as a stratified charge pattern at subsonic to supersonic velocities depending upon the pressure of fluid delivery and Lorentz acceleration that results. In some embodiments a magnet such as a permanent or electromagnet 684 thrusts the initial current away that develops between ridge 686 and 685. This enables a rapid and robust Lorentz ion production and thrusting ignition system that spreads spark erosion over very large fuel cooled electrode areas 685 and 686 to enable very long electrode life. Similarly an electromagnet or permanent magnet incorporated in or near 772 and/or 774 can thrust the initial current toward the combustion chamber 712 to enable adaptively increased ion current over large fuel cooled electrode areas to extend electrode life. Antenna 152 may induce or participate with antenna 202, 204, 206, 208, 210 etc. to produce more efficient corona plasma patterns for combustion of one or more fluid injection patterns such as fuel selections that are controlled by valves 727A, B, C, D, E, or F that expand into the combustion chamber air inventory.

[00140] Even longer electrode lives can be provided by spark free corona ignition in which a sufficiently high voltage electric field is quickly presented within about 5 to 60 nanoseconds and/or at radio frequencies. Such sudden presentation of a high voltage electric field and/or sub-microwave to microwave radiation in the combustion chamber causes corona discharge without spark current development or erosion. It is particularly advantageous to manifest such sudden presentation of the electric field and/or microwave radiation from electrodes or antenna that are components of a composited head gasket assembly 200 including the embodiment types disclosed in patent papers related to 69545-8318. US02, which are included herein as references. Such antenna can be directly coupled or capacitively coupled including various combinations and patterns of electrode placements. Additional references consisting of the disclosures in U.S. Patents 6,883,507 and the references provided therein are included for those skilled in the art.

[00141] An exemplary head gasket and antenna assembly 200 for generating such corona ion plasma production is shown in Figure 2A. In addition to serving as a compressively loaded, combustion chamber sealing gasket between the engine block and head there is provided a system for inducing plasma ignition of fuel such as homogeneous mixtures or stratified fuel-oxidant mixtures within air in a combustion chamber. Antenna 202, 204, 206, 208 etc., are suitably insulated for production of a high voltage electric field and/or sub-microwave to microwave radiation in the combustion chamber that is sufficient in magnitude to produce plasma ions but not sufficient in concentration to cause dielectric breakdown into an inefficient arc of current typical to the arc produced by a spark plug. [00142] According to adaptive operation by process controller 260 in response to events monitored by sensors such as 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, and/or 240 the electric field can be provided as one or227 more DC pulses or AC including high frequency applications of such fields at selected frequencies that may be adaptively adjusted by controller 260 within the range of 25KiloHertz to 25GigaHertz or higher to extend the duration and/or magnitude of plasma production to optimize engine performance including torque production, fuel efficiency, emissions elimination or reduction, operating smoothness, and noise minimization along with longer life at full power, cruise, and transient operations.

[00143] Important advantages of creating electric fields by features of gasket 200 include production of corona in relatively high pressure gas inventories and/or modification of such corona by selected or variable frequency such as 10 MegaHertz to 25 GigaHertz for purposes of creating more activated fuel particles and/or oxidant ions including initiation of ion production and/or formation of radical chemical states in patterns that include speed of sound shock events and/or at surfaces of mixing fuel and air and/or at piston, valve, or upper surface regions of the combustion chamber to stimulate accelerated combustion and/or to eliminate varnish or other buildup of residue.

[00144] Controllers such as 154A, 260, or 509B may be integrated in gasket assembly 200 or in injector 100 or may be placed in other suitable locations. One or more antenna 202, 204, 206, 208, 210 etc., which are typical for each combustion chamber of multi-cylinder engines may be nanostructures of suitable materials carbon nanotube (CNT) structures such as single wall nanotubes (SWNTs), multiple wall nanotubes (MWNTs), and such structures may include semiconductor and/or dielectric insulator layers of protective non-conductive materials around conductive portions of CNTs.

[00145] In certain embodiments the head gasket assembly can include catalysts including catalysts incorporated in antenna such as 202 for purposes of repair, regrowth, or functionalization of nanostructures such as CNTs, scrolls, or other constructs including single-wall or multiple-wall graphene and/or graphite and/or closed spheres or ellipsoids. Such catalytic or otherwise self-organized developments may utilize carbon donor treatments such as methane or methane-hydrogen and/or dopant donor treatments including activation by corona production from selected antenna such as 206 and/or 210 to repair or respecialize other antenna. In other embodiments such re-growth and/or repair is accomplished at times the engine is not running such as at a repair station or at night in the case of a predominantly day-use engine and may utilize carbon donor treatments such as ethane, propane, butane etc., or methane-hydrogen and/or dopant donor treatments including activation by corona production from selected antenna such as 206 and/or 210 to repair or re-specialize other antenna.

[00146] In other embodiments antenna constructs of material selections including metals, semiconductors and composites are produced in materials such as tin, copper, nickel, iron, cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, tantalum, etc., along with materials such as silicon, silicon carbide, and silicon nitride. In some instances the gasket assembly includes ion carrier zones similar to 202, 204 etc., such as proton or oxygen ion materials for providing ions such as hydrogen or oxygen additions to and/or from the combustion chamber and may include electrode materials for delivery of electrons to or from such ions to produce atoms and/or molecules.

[00147] Depending upon factors such as piston topography, speed, and location, fuel type, delivery pressure, and injection timing, along with or without co-operative Lorentz ion penetration pattern events, selected electric field antenna may be adaptively poled the same or oppositely and may work in pairs or groups in which a push-pull benefit is provided by DC or AC pulsing.

[00148] Other suitable antenna materials and structures include conductive nanocarbon fiber wires that may include architectural constructs, semiconductor and/or dielectric insulator layers surrounding such conductive wires. Other suitable antenna forms and functions include sheet forms and wires made of conductive materials including heat and oxidation resistant alloys and semiconductors. Structures and functions such as those disclosed in US 201 10051775; US 2012/0299440; US 20130209991 and the references cited therein are included herein as references.

[00149] Sensors 222, 224, 226, 228 and/or 230 detect combustion chamber conditions and events including engine control data such as piston position, pressure, temperature, fuel penetration and/or combustion patterns at suitable locations such as between corona antenna 202, 204, 206, 208, and 210. Optical event monitoring such as may be provided by photosensitive sensors such as micro or nano-sensors may be provided by semiconductor device selections including CNTs and CMOS arrays. Infrared (IR), visible and Ultraviolet (UV) flame radiation is detected to determine the temperature and/or combustion participants and/or pattern of combustion. Such data can be used to generate maintenance requests, report emissions compliance, and determine the optimum engineered fuel constituents to be provided for refueling the vehicle at the next service station.

[00150] In other embodiments combustion chamber instrumentation includes detection of event process variations due to piston velocity and position, fuel type and combustion characteristics, fuel injection pressure, Lorentz acceleration, turbo charger and/or supercharger performance, oxidant ion generation and distribution patterns, fuel ion generation and distribution patterns by monitored interactions with sensors incorporated in the fuel injector, another port such as or similar to a glow plug location, and/or head gasket system 200. Fiber optics and or other sensor selections at locations such as 222, 224, 226, 228, 230 and corona plasma generating antenna such as 202, 204, 206, 208 and 210 for corona plasma enable changes in infrared, visible, UV, terahertz, microwave, and/or ultra-high frequency to reveal and monitor combustion chamber events. Application of such wide range of interrogating frequencies enables detection of reactant distributions and process events including production of products of combustion such as H ⁺ , OH ^" , O3, NOx and water molecules H2O.

[00151] In some embodiments, combustion at crank angles less than about 40° after TDC may produce peak temperatures in excess of about 2200°C and stratified oxides of nitrogen production is encouraged and serve as optimally located activated oxidants for accelerated completion of combustion for continued, additional, or subsequent fuel injections. Following such high temperature combustion for high thermal efficiency fuel injection rate and penetration pattern is controlled to consume such stratified activated oxidants and the peak combustion temperature is monitored and controlled to be below about 2200 °C to substantially prevent production of oxides of nitrogen. Such advantageous operational modes are enabled by the sensors and corona ignition system of assembly 200 and may be utilized in conjunction with stratified fuel injection by system 100 including the option of Lorentz-ion thrusting and penetration pattern control.

[00152] Monitoring of combustion chamber pressure may be similarly provided by micro- or nano-sensors including Fabry-Perot, Bragg cell sensors and semiconductor device selections including CNTs. Other suitable pressure sensors include piezoelectric transducers including somewhat larger selections such as the types described at http://www.pcb.eom/TestMeasurement/Pressure.aspx#.UkGSYj8uD5 M.

[00153] Circuits suitable for various operations include distributed circuit elements, microprocessors and devices such as conductors, insulators, resistors, inductors, and capacitors. The relatively large areas, assured heat sinks, and compressive loading for assured assembly integrity are particularly beneficial to enable operation with large capacity capacitors including high voltage capacitors and/or inductor operations that utilize ferrite regions that may be integrated into the assembly and/or flux circuits through iron alloys in the engine head and/or block materials.

[00154] Further operational advantages are provided by adaptively optimized Lorentz initiation and thrust current and/or corona spark-less ignition to produce one or more of the following:

[00155] Lorentz-lgnition: Find the minimum electrical energy for Lorentz ion thrust ignition to reliably maximize BMEP at each mode of operation including idle, acceleration, cruise, and full power.

[00156] Corona Ignition: Find the minimum electrical energy for corona ignition of stratified fuel to reliably maximize BMEP at each mode of operation including idle, acceleration, cruise, and full power.

[00157] Lorentz-Corona Combination: Find the minimum electrical energy for Lorentz ion thrust patterns that define corona ignition patterns to reliably maximize BMEP at each mode of operation including idle, acceleration, cruise, and full power.

[00158] Figure 4A is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a combustion chamber assembly 400 configured in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. As will be described in further detail below, the combustion chamber assembly 400 can include one or more heat-retaining portions, or inserts, capable of directional heat transfer. The inserts can have an insulative property for blocking heat from traveling in a first direction (e.g., to other parts of the engine), and can have efficient heat transfer properties for facilitating heat transfer or temporarily holding heat and then transferring heat in a second direction (e.g., downstream to facilitate a phase transition of exhaust products).

[00159] In the illustrated embodiment, the combustion chamber assembly 400 includes a combustion chamber 404 at least partially defined by an engine cylinder wall 418. An injector 416 is configured to provide delivery of fuel through conduit 417 and connections 415 for fuel at another pressure or an alternate fuel or ignition stimulant and/or 419 for coolant injection to the combustion chamber 404. In some embodiments, the injector 416 is a fuel-injector/igniter having features such as those described in U.S. Patent Application Number 13/027,051 , titled, "FUEL INJECTOR ASSEMBLIES HAVING ACOUSTICAL FORCE MODIFIERS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS OF USE AND MANUFACTURE," filed February 14, 201 1 , and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[00160] The combustion chamber assembly 400 can further include one or more intake valves 412 and one or more exhaust valves 414 that allow fluid (e.g., air) flow into and out of the combustion chamber 404, respectively. The intake and exhaust valves 412, 414 can be movable between open and closed positions relative to the cylinder wall 418 and can have surfaces exposed to the combustion chamber 404. The combustion chamber assembly 400 can further include an energy transfer device, such as a piston 420, moveable relative to the cylinder wall 418. In some embodiments, the piston 420 can be a composite piston such as may be made of internally-reinforced material, such as ceramic, carbon-carbon composite, silicon carbide, silicon carbide fiber compact, and/or nano-spaced arrays of laminar graphite or boron nitride. The piston 420 can be annularly surrounded by piston rings 422 configured to inhibit pressurized fluid from escaping the combustion chamber 404 via space between the piston 420 and the cylinder wall 418. The piston 420 can have one or more surfaces exposed to the combustion chamber 404. [00161] The combustion chamber assembly 400 can further include a sensor and/or transmitting component for detecting and relaying combustion chamber properties and events such as temperatures and pressure and providing feedback to the controller 154A. The sensor can be integral to the intake valve 412, exhaust valve 414, injector 416, or other components of the combustion chamber assembly 400 such as component 406. In some embodiments, for example, the sensor can include optical instrumentation, such as infrared temperature monitoring components in the fuel injector 416, and/or a suitable thermistors or thermocouples that monitor the combustion chamber or exhaust temperature. Combustion data can be transmitted via wireless, wired, optical, or other transmission mediums to the controller 154A or other components. Such feedback enables extremely rapid and adaptive adjustments for desired fuel injection factors and characteristics including, for example, fuel delivery pressure, fuel injection initiation timing, combustion chamber pressure and/or temperature, the timing of one, multiple or continuous plasma ignitions or capacitive discharges, etc. For example, the sensor can provide feedback to the controller 154A as to whether the measurable conditions within the combustion chamber 404, such as temperature or pressure, fall within ranges that have been predetermined to provide desired combustion efficiency. Upon combustion chamber components reaching the desired temperature, one or more cooling and work producing cycles are performed as may be indicated by the sensors.

[00162] As described above, the combustion chamber assembly 400 can include one or more inserts that can receive, retain, and/or transfer heat from heat producing events such as compression of gases and combustion along with heat transfer events such as swirl, turbulence, and radiation that would otherwise be wastefully dissipated from the combustion chamber 404. Heat can be transferred to and from solid material or material that performs one or more phase changes to improve heat blocking, retention, and return to fluids in the combustion chamber. Materials that perform such phase changes include types that reversibly perform solid-solid, solid-liquid, crystal- amorphous, liquid-liquid and liquid-gas phase changes and may be contained in various amounts and orientations to enhance heat transfer and recovery operations. Suitable substance selections include carious eutectics, eutectoids, NaF-ZrF ₄ solutions, polymers such as selected olefins, liquid crystals, and halogenated olefins along with substances disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,709,914, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and other materials that may be selected by persons skilled in the art.

[00163] In the illustrated embodiment, the combustion chamber assembly 400 includes valve inserts 408 on the intake valve 412 and/or the exhaust valve 414. A piston insert 410 is coupled to a surface of the piston 420 facing the combustion chamber 404. The combustion chamber assembly 400 further includes a cylinder insert 406 on the cylinder wall 418. The valve inserts 408, the piston insert 410, and the cylinder insert 406 (referred to collectively as "inserts") can be integral to the combustion chamber assembly 400 or can be separate components coupled to the assembly 400. If the inserts are separate components, they can be attached to the combustion chamber assembly 400 by glue, solder, braze, screws, latches, or other attachment mechanisms. In embodiments in which the inserts are an integral portion of the combustion chamber assembly 400, the inserts can comprise a coating that is applied to combustion chamber assembly 400 components that are exposed to heat from combustion.

[00164] In various embodiments, the inserts can include the following materials: boron nitride, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, graphite, graphene, carbon, BeO (or beryllia), magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide, spinel, aluminum boride, silica, an architectural construct, combinations of these materials, or other materials having similarly suitable thermal properties as may be produced and tailored from abundant resources such as carbon, silicon, boron, nitrogen, oxygen, aluminum, magnesium, zirconium, and titanium. In some embodiments, the coating material can include architectural construct, as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 13/027,214 titled, "ARCHITECTURAL CONSTRUCT HAVING FOR EXAMPLE A PLURALITY OF ARCHITECTURAL CRYSTALS," filed February 14, 201 1 , and herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. In some embodiments, the inserts comprise a synthetic matrix characterization of crystals that are configured to retain heat. In several embodiments, the material has a zero, or near-zero, thermal expansion.

[00165] Some factors that determine an appropriate material choice include the mass of the material, the specific heat, the latent heat of solidification, the surface to volume ratio, the surface finish/reflectivity, the color, the ability to include fins on the material for increased dimension and surface area, and the types of interaction the material has with flowing fluids, radiation, etc. In certain embodiments, the insert can include parallel, spaced-apart layers of microscopically-thin deposits of various materials chosen for particular thermal properties. For example, the insert can comprise spaced-apart graphite or graphene plates, which provide a low-density material having a relatively high heat-transfer. In further embodiments, the spaced- apart layers can be connected to cooling or heating sources to enhance conduction, radiation, and/or evaporation/condensation by/through the layers.

[00166] In some embodiments, the insert can include different materials on different layers or portions of the insert. For example, a material having low thermal conduction could contact a combustion chamber assembly 400 component, such as the cylinder wall 418 or the piston 420, and another material having a high heat capacity could be layered on the first material and could face the combustion chamber 404. In some embodiments, using combinations of multiple materials on the inserts supports multi-phase systems, particularly in large engines with relatively low piston or rotor speeds. For example, the inserts can include thermal shock resistance material such as spinels or can include an architectural construct as a piston insert 410; diamond-coating containing one or more annular rings of sodium, lithium, phosphorous, sulfur, or indium for a cylinder wall insert 406; and eutectoids and eutectics as valve inserts 408.

[00167] The insert coating can be applied by various techniques, including, for example, anodizing, diffusion bonding and/or processes that form carbides, borides, and nitrides (e.g., aluminum nitride ion implantation, boron ion implantation), carburizing with boron, carburizing with nitride, carburizing with molybdenum, and/or carburizing with magnesium. In some embodiments, a coating can be applied by hardening the surface of a component of the combustion chamber assembly 400. In some embodiments, the surface can be hardened with a material selected to provide the surface with extended wear capability, reduced starting friction, reduced sliding friction, and/or improved corrosion resistance. The process can further include smoothing at least one surface of the component and applying a treatment to the surface such as ion implantation, chemical vapor deposition, electroplating, electrodeless plating, sputtering, flame spraying, plasma spraying, diamond-like carbon deposition, magnesium aluminum boride (or BAM) deposition, nickel deposition, chromium deposition, aluminum deposition, aluminum nitride deposition, and/or titanium boride deposition. In other embodiments, the coatings can be applied using alternate or additional techniques.

[00168] In various embodiments, the inserts can be oriented in the combustion chamber assembly 400 to achieve a desired thermal effect. For example, in some embodiments, inserts (e.g., the crystal matrix of the insert material) can be oriented to be transverse to the direction of heat transfer to improve thermal retention. In further embodiments, inserts can have portions oriented at different angles relative to one another. For example, in a particular embodiment, one portion of an insert can insulate the top of the piston 420 while another portion insulates the cylinder wall 418. These portions of the insert can be oriented in different directions relative to one another (and yet both be oriented transverse to heat flow) to provide optimal insulation for the combustion chamber 404. In still further embodiments, a single insert can have layers oriented at nonzero angles relative to one another on the same portion of the insert. For example, an insert insulating the top of the piston 420 can have some layers oriented transversely to the heat transfer direction and other layers oriented obliquely to the heat transfer direction.

[00169] In operation, the inserts act as a thermal flywheel, and can provide inertia against temperature fluctuations in the components beneath or that support the inserts in combustion chamber 404. The inserts block, seal, reflect, or otherwise retain heat in the combustion chamber 404 to prevent the heat from conducting away from the combustion chamber 404. Heat that is not conducted and/or reflected into the combustion chamber can be held or retained in thermal flywheel heat transfer portions to be subsequently transferred to work, producing expansive substances during a cooling phase in the combustion chamber and/or in an additional expander. In some embodiments, the inserts can serve to as a thermal flywheels to heat/cool phase change substances. The inserts can be used in conjunction with cooling methods and systems described in U.S. Patent Application Number 13/027, 170, titled, "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ADAPTIVELY COOLING COMBUSTION CHAMBERS IN ENGINES," filed February 14, 201 1 , and herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. [00170] The inserts can also be configured to rapidly give up retained heat during a cooling phase, such as when coolant is injected into the combustion chamber 404 such as during the intake, compression, power and/or exhaust strokes. The amount of energy retained by the inserts, and the ability to retain or release that heat, is determined by the size, placement, shape, and material choice of the inserts. The energy is released to the fluids in the combustion chamber by contact, radiation, or other energy-emission transfer. As described above, sensors in the combustion chamber 404 can provide data to the controller 154A, including brake mean effective pressure indicators such as combustion chamber pressure, positive or negative flywheel acceleration, the temperature of the combustion chamber, and/or the temperature of the inserts. The controller 154A can in turn manipulate the combustion chamber 404 conditions by controlling, for example, the frequency of cooling intake, cooling compression, cooling work, and/or the cooling exhaust cycle in a combustion chamber 404. This sensor/controller 104 interaction thereby determines how much heat is reflected by the inserts and how much is held or retained.

[00171] In the illustrated embodiment, the valve inserts 408 face the combustion chamber 404 and have thermal properties that can receive, retain, and/or transfer heat in the combustion chamber 404. The piston insert 410 can block heat transfer to other portions of the piston 420 or combustion chamber assembly 400. The cylinder insert 406 can block heat transfer from the combustion chamber 404 to other zones of the engine assembly. The inserts can together hold the heat of combustion and release it back to the air and fuel and/or the combustion gases in the combustion chamber 404 for the next stroke. In various embodiments, the inserts can be applied to one or more of the piston 420; intake and/or exhaust valves 412, 414; exposed portions of the combustion chamber 404 head; cylinder wall 418; and/or piston rings 422 and/or to the exhaust gas passageways. In further embodiments, the combustion chamber assembly 400 can include more or fewer inserts than illustrated, and the inserts can be located on additional or alternate surfaces of the combustion chamber assembly 400.

[00172] The inserts can improve the efficiency of combustion by retaining heat in the combustion chamber 404, increasing fuel-combustion efficiency, and decreasing fuel requirements. The inserts can additionally reduce the demand for general cooling (e.g., a water jacket), as more of the heat generated in the combustion chamber 404 stays in the combustion chamber 404 and does not need to be dissipated. Furthermore, wear on engine parts caused by exposure to conducted heat is reduced, as fewer engine parts are exposed to high-temperature conducted heat from combustion.

[00173] The features of the combustion chamber assembly 400 described above with reference to Figure 4A can be included in any of the embodiments described below with reference to Figures 4A and 5 or in other embodiments of combustion chamber assemblies that have been described in publications that have been incorporated by reference herein. Furthermore, some or all of the features of the combustion chamber assembly 400 can be used with a wide variety of engines including, but not limited to, two-stroke and four-stroke piston engines, rotary combustion engines, gas turbine engines, or combinations of these. The features of the combustion chamber assembly 400 can likewise be used with a wide variety of fuel types including diesel, gasoline, natural gas (including methane, ethane, and propane), renewable fuels (including fuel alcohols-both wet and dry-and nitrogenous fuels such as ammonia), and designer fuels.

[00174] Figure 4B is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a combustion chamber assembly 400 configured in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure. The combustion chamber assembly 400 includes several features generally similar to the combustion chamber assembly 400 described above with reference to Figure 4A. For example, the combustion chamber assembly 400 includes an injector 416 configured to provide fuel and/or coolant injection to a combustion chamber 404. The combustion chamber 404 is formed from an engine cylinder wall 418, cylinder insert 406, piston 21 1 , piston insert 407, engine head 201 , valve 412, valve 414, and valve inserts 408. The combustion chamber assembly 400 can further include the mechanical operating assembly of one or more intake valves 412, one or more exhaust valves 414, and a moveable piston 420 annularly surrounded by piston rings 422.

[00175] As described above, the combustion chamber assembly 400 can include one or more inserts capable of acting as thermal flywheels to block, reflect, retain, insulate, or transfer heat. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the combustion chamber assembly 400 includes valve inserts 408 on the intake valve 412 and the exhaust valve 414 facing the combustion chamber 404. The combustion chamber assembly 400 further includes a piston insert 410 attached or incorporated within the piston 420. The positioning of the piston insert 410 thereby inhibits heat from combustion from migrating below the piston insert 410 and the piston rings 422. In further embodiments, the combustion chamber assembly 400 can include additional piston inserts located on other or additional surfaces of the piston 420 and/or in head 201 . In operation, the one or more inserts protect the engine by retaining the heat in the combustion chamber rather than allowing it to impacts the engine durability, the insert further directs and reradiates the heat from the combustion event through an exhaust port.

[00176] In addition to the valve and piston inserts 408, 410, the combustion chamber assembly 400 further includes a combustion chamber insert 407 that substantially covers an interior surface of the combustion chamber 404. The combustion chamber insert 407 can provide an increased surface area of thermal material to reflect or retain heat in the combustion chamber. A cylinder insert 406 can be attached to the cylinder wall 418 to further retain heat in the combustion chamber 404 and inhibit heat transfer to other parts of the engine. In some embodiments, the combustion chamber insert 407 and cylinder wall insert 406 are oriented at various angles such as offset to one another.

[00177] In further embodiments, the combustion chamber insert 407 and the cylinder wall insert 406 are oriented at the same angle relative to one another. One or more of the inserts can be aligned in an orientation transverse to the movement of heat from combustion. Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a combustion chamber assembly 500 configured in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure. The combustion chamber assembly 500 includes several features generally similar to the combustion chamber assembly 400 described above with reference to Figure 4A. For example, the combustion chamber assembly includes an injector 516 configured to provide fuel (illustrated by fuel spray lines 51 2) and/or coolant injection to a combustion chamber 504. [00178] The combustion chamber assembly 500 can further include one or more intake valves 512 and one or more exhaust valves 514 that allow fluid flow into and out of the combustion chamber 504, respectively, and a piston 520 moveable by a crank shaft and pressure from expanding gas in the combustion chamber 504. In the illustrated embodiment, the piston 520 includes a piston extension 505 attached to the piston 520 and configured to move with the piston 520 and may alter the size and shape of the combustion chamber 504. While the piston extension 505 in the illustrated embodiment includes a double-curved surface facing the combustion chamber 504, other shapes may be used in other embodiments.

[00179] The combustion chamber assembly 500 includes a piston insert 510 attached to the piston extension 505. The piston insert 510 lines at least a portion of the curved surface of the piston extension 505 and faces the combustion chamber 504. The piston insert 510 thereby blocks, seals, reflects, or otherwise retains heat in the combustion chamber 504 to prevent the heat from transferring away from the combustion chamber 504 to other zones of the engine assembly. In some embodiments, the piston insert 510 is oriented transverse to the direction of heat flow. In other embodiments, the piston insert 510 can have other orientations or can include layers or portions with different orientations. The piston insert 510 can be used alone or with any of the other inserts described above.

[00180] Figures. 6A and 6B show combined fuel injection and plasma ignition systems 600A and 600B with further features that provide for plasma and/or auto- ignition of ether or other chemical plasma generation agents or similar substances that enable such features at desired times including occasions that ignition stimulants and/or combustion process modifiers are needed along with fail-safe continued power production upon the failure of the plasma ignition system. For example, in illustrative operation, a fuel selection that cannot be ignited by compression ignition can be used by providing electrical ionization for suitable ignition. Exemplary fuels can include liquids such as gasoline, fuel alcohols and butane and/or vaporous fuels such as propane and wet fuel alcohols, along with gaseous fuels such as hydrogen, methane or natural gas. [00181] For example, the piston velocity is a factor that affects timing of the injection of into the combustion chamber. For example, if a fuel is injected after top dead center (ATDC) in an engine with high piston velocity (i.e., a high frequency engine), the fuel must burn faster in order to benefit from the torque produced on the ATDC period, e.g., having the fuel burned before 90 degrees of crank rotation, or 60 degrees, 45 degrees, etc. This is where implementation of Lorentz thrusting of the fuel by the fuel injection and ignition system can to provide the much greater fuel injection velocity for the timed piston velocity condition to benefit from the combustion heat that is released, e.g., otherwise wasting heat by exhausting it when it could have been doing work.

[00182] In some examples, the fuel can be chemically activated by the chemical plasma generation agents produced by the system 500, which can be utilized to relieve the amount of current that the Lorentz thrusting of the fuel injection and ignition system is required to use, and thus reduce electrode erosion, thereby extending the life of the electrode. For example, a reduced current production on the electrode can be achieved by using the chemical plasma generation agent in the Lorentz thrust applications. For example, the disclosed technology can make the Lorentz occur based on chemical plasma started by the chemical plasma generation agent, and then accelerate it, thereby reducing the current on the Lorentz thruster (electrode).

[00183] In certain embodiments of the system 600A shown in Figure 6A includes a fitting 638A that provides a connection to receive such fuels that are used as individual selections or various mixtures. The system 600A can be implemented such that an engine can be operated with ionizing voltage application through terminal 627, insulated conductor 614, electrode 686, and electrode 685 to produce sparks, corona and/or Lorentz thrust ion currents into the combustion chamber of the engine served. The system 600A includes one or more controllers 622A and 622B to control functions and interactions of at least some of the various components of the system 600A.

[00184] In certain other embodiments fitting 627 provides electrical, hydraulic and/or pneumatic connections and functions. In an exemplary application of system 600A in one or more suitable locations of gasket 200 and/or in place of a conventional fuel injector or spark plug in the head of an engine. In an illustrative application a fuel selection such as hydrogen or another substance can be supplied through fitting 638A, and hydrogen and/or another fuel at a higher or lower pressure can be supplied through fitting 638B and/or another fuel such as a liquid or vapor such as DME, DEE, formic acid, an alcohol, a solution containing urea, ammonia, acetaldehyde, gasoline or diesel fuel can be supplied through fitting 627. In operation a spark, Lorentz or corona ignition event can be developed by utilization of a conductive portion of delivery nozzle 686 and electrode 685 and/or the engine or conductive portion of gasket 200 or other combustion chamber inserts for various permutations and combinations of such fuel selections including auto-ignition agents which can be utilized with or without adaptively adjusted injection and ignition timings of fuel supply options to provide homogeneous or stratified charge combustion.

[00185] As shown in embodiment 980 of Figure 9C, various substances including alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol etc., can be converted by partial reduction, oxidation or dissociation into products such as water and auto-ignition or chemical plasma generation agents. Illustratively as shown in steps 982 and 984 a certain selection or mixture of precursors such as methanol and ethanol can be dissociated into water and chemical plasma generation agents such as dimethylether and diethylether. These agents can be individually injected according to suitable timing or injected as a mixture to provide for two stages of chemical plasma initiation of combustion to assure ignition and/or completion of combustion including combustion of other fuel constituents in the combustion chamber as shown in step 986. In instances that additional stages of combustion initiation may be desired the fuel mixture can include methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol etc., for further improvements in the initiation and/or acceleration of combustion completion. In certain embodiments oxidation, partial oxidation, or hydration of one or more precursors such as alkenes, alkanes, or alcohols to produce additional chemical plasma agents including aldehydes such as acetaldehyde from ethylene or ethanol. In another example production of acetaldehyde can be by keto-enol tautomerization of vinyl alcohol.

[00186] One or more chemical plasma generation (auto-ignition) agents, e.g., such as DEE, acetylene, DME, a gaseous metal compound such as iron carbonyl, and/or acetaldehyde etc., can be injected by a suitable injector such as 102 or 700 and/or from gasket ports such as 240A, B, C, D, etc., or 264A or B into the combustion chamber of the engine to produce power as shown in step 988. Selected chemical plasma stimulants including compounds such as metal carbonyls, illustratively copper, nickel, cobalt, and/or iron carbonyl(s) can be injected through such gasket ports and/or a suitable injector such as 102 to augment or replace spark, Lorentz or corona ignition. Such plasma stimulants including carbonyls can be produced by flowing carbon monoxide produced by suitable processes such as partial combustion, dissociation of a fuel alcohol, electrolysis of a suitable precursor and/or by a reforming operation such as with steam and methane or natural gas.

[00187] Illustratively a reactor such as a copper alloy powder compact with interconnecting passageways there through can be utilized as an endothermic reactor using heat generated by the engine or fuel cell and/or by other sources to receive and convert ethyl alcohol vapor to acetaldehyde and hydrogen.

[00188] C2H5OH + (H1 , H2, and/or H3) -» H2 + CHsCHO Equation 9

[00189] Such conversion can be provided by or delivered by one or more passageways selected from configurations such as 240A-D or 241 A-D in gasket 200. This provides the option of stimulating ignition and/or completion of combustion by acetaldehyde plasma generation upon injection into the combustion chamber and can operate as the sole source of ignition or it may be utilized in combination with other chemical plasma agents, spark, Lorentz or corona stimulated ignition systems.

[00190] In another illustrative operation carbon monoxide flows through a powder compact and/or sponge metal cartridge at temperatures near about 65°C to 85°C form metal carbonyls such as nickel and/or iron carbonyl. Upon subsequent injection at subsonic to supersonic velocities with or without blended fuel constituents such as natural gas, methane, ethane, propane, carbon monoxide, and/or hydrogen from a suitable injector such as 102 and/or gasket ports 240A, B, C, D, etc., and/or 241 A, B, C, D, etc., such metal carbonyls decompose at about 150°C or higher temperatures to produce metallic particles such as nickel and/or iron along with activated carbon monoxide for accelerating ignition and/or completion of combustion purposes. [00191] The projected metal particles and/or partially oxidized serve as DC corona and/or microwave field pattern agents and exothermically oxidize to serve as ignition spark vectors in the selected fuel injection patterns. Such porous metal cartridges may be presented by one or more series and/or parallel circuits such as through a portion of 240A, B, C, D, etc., and/or 241 A, B, C, D, etc. This enables spent cartridges to be replaced or refilled while other cartridges are in service as carbonyl generators. Suitable arrangements for production of carbon monoxide include the system disclosed in patent applications 069545-8338.WO00; US 61 /899,1 17; PCT/US 2014/029325 and/or 13/832,740 all of which are included herein by reference..

[00192] Important advantages include the ability to utilize chemical plasma generating agents to continue engine operation without electric ignition, the opportunity to improve engine efficiency by utilization of thermochemically regenerated fuel species, and adaptive achievement of customized torque production by control of the combustion patterns and resulting pressure developments that provide more work per unit of combustion energy than possible with diesel fuel.

[00193] The chemical plasma generation agents can be utilized along with the primary fuel at times that it is desired to change the ignition and/or combustion characteristics of other fuels such as fuel alcohols, gasoline, methane or natural gas (e.g., to accelerate combustion or to change the radiative signal produced by combustion). And such auto-ignition chemical plasma agents can be injected to overcome energy release deficiencies at critical times of engine operation, e.g., such as high blower boost to meet torque demand or to overcome problems with the primary electrical ignition system.

[00194] In some implementations, the chemical plasma generation agents can be used as an auto-ignition agent and can be mechanically metered or valved and injected at adaptively timed instances to ignite the primary fuel without the normally utilized operation, e.g., including the electrical ionization for combustion initiation. Thus, combustion in the engine using the described chemical plasma generation agents can occur with a 'spark-free' combustion. Upon achieving pressure-induced or thermal conduction and/or radiation driven temperature elevation above about 160 °C (320 °F), a plasma stimulation agent such as the exemplary ether chemical plasma generators in air can rapidly propagate plasma to induce combustion throughout a stratified charge, e.g., including mixtures with fuels that would not ignite and combust by the highest compression temperatures and pressures produced by diesel engines with pressure-boosting superchargers.

[00195] Figure 6B shows a system to operate the metering of chemical plasma generation agents for auto-ignition by adaptively timed injections into a combustion chamber to ignite the fuel without the normally utilized ignition procedures, such as electrical ionization of the fuel for combustion. Certain embodiments of the system 600B of Figure 6B provide mechanical operation of the metering valve in one or more fuel metering components such as assemblies 695, 694 and 629B. For example, the assembly 695 represents a stationary cylinder 695 including a piston 693, in which the assembly 695 is coupled with a hydraulic tube or reinforced hose 694.

[00196] Mechanical actuation may be provided by a lobbed disk or cam shaft with lobes, e.g., such as a conventional intake or exhaust valve lobe 690, that further serve to axially actuate the fuel control valve such as a spool valve within a piston 692 of the valve assembly 629B. For example, such cam actuation may be made directly or through suitable linkage such as a push-rod, cable, pneumatic or hydraulic system that transfers cam force to intermittently operate the fuel metering valve within the assembly 629B and provide fuel flow bursts.

[00197] As shown in Figure 6B, the assembly 693-695 may be moved by a suitable mechanism such as a hydraulic cylinder or lever 694C rotating about an axis 697 to locate the assembly 693-695 at a guided axial position that provides for engagement of the piston 693 with cam 690 to the extent desired to continuously control the amount of fuel that is injected. Thus the amount of fuel injected can be varied from none to a maximum value including appropriate settings for idle, acceleration, cruise, and full power.

[00198] For example, at times the piston 693 is engaged and moved axially by the passage of the rotary cam lobe 690, hydraulic fluid is displaced from the stationary cylinder 695 through the hydraulic tube or reinforced hose 694 to displace piston 692 within the assembly 629B to provide fuel flow supplied by a fitting 638Bto be delivered across the annular passageway of the exemplary spool valve of the piston 692, e.g., through passageways 657B and 624 and valve 668 of the system 600A for injection into the combustion chamber 607 as shown. For example, fuel subsequently flows around an annular passageway in the spool valve of the piston 692 and thus to the passageway 657B, through annular space 616 to one or more suitable terminal valve(s), e.g., such as radially opening component(s) 666 to deliver fuel bursts into the combustion chamber 607 as shown. For example, as the lobe 690 is moved past the angular section of displacement, the pistons 693 and 692 are returned to their normally-off positions by suitable compression springs 698 and 699, respectively, as shown.

[00199] Another exemplary embodiment of the disclosed technology utilizes the chemical plasma generators production system, e.g., such as the system 500, in combination with the fuel burst vectors produced by the type of fuel valve control and directed jet ports 1 18 of the assembly 100A in Figure 1A. For example, this can be provided with chemical plasma generation agents, e.g., such as acetaldehyde, acetylene, cyclohexane, DEE, or DME, in combination with or without electrical ionization to initiate and accelerate completion of fuel combustion.

[00200] In some implementations, it can be particularly beneficial to utilize the fuel injection and plasma ignition systems 600A and 600B to inject multiple bursts of proportioned concentrations of exemplary chemical plasma generation agents (e.g., such as DME or DEE ethers) as ignition agents along with very inexpensive unrefined fuels, e.g., such as off-grade petrol fuels, plant and/or animal sourced bio-diesel fuels, wet or dry fuel alcohols, producer gas, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, natural gas or renewable methane. Rapid optimization is provided by adaptive adjustments of the valve assembly 629B timing to control the pressure, concentration, and delivery pattern characteristics of the exemplary chemical plasma generation agent (e.g., ether) in the fuel mixture in response to the speed of light combustion monitoring system 600A / 600B, e.g., provided by light pipes or fiber optics 617 and computer 622A or the system 600A.

[00201] For example, electrically-produced ions and free radicals that are thrust as plasma constituents into the combustion chamber by Lorentz and/or pressure forces and/or thermal expansion can provide a much earlier beginning of combustion, an accelerated process of combustion, and an earlier achievement of complete combustion of each fuel burst, for example, as compared to conventional ignition by ionization of the gap of a spark plug. Similarly, for example, the auto-ignition agents chemically stimulate another type of plasma generation in which the chemical plasma includes ions, free radicals, and other activated particles, and thrusting such chemical plasma by fuel pressure forces and/or thermal expansion to form projected vectors into the combustion chamber enables each fuel burst to greatly accelerate the ignition initiation, oxidation process, and the achievement of complete combustion.

[00202] The disclosed technology includes adaptive control and dynamic sensing of the described fuel injection and ignition systems, devices, and processes, e.g. including the utilization of chemical plasma generators in such fuel injection and ignition systems, devices, and processes.

[00203] The described adaptive controls can be implemented to control the acceleration of electrical and/or chemical plasma combustion processes and can be applied simultaneously or in selected sequences, for example, which can be used to provide the following exemplary benefits. For example, the amount of electrical energy expended can be reduced in the instance that chemical and electrical plasma stimulations are combined in simultaneous or various sequential permutations. For example, the fuel pressure can be reduced while achieving the same combustion acceleration characteristics and benefits in the instance that chemical and electrical plasma stimulations are combined in simultaneous or various sequential permutations.

[00204] For example, considerably less auto-ignition stimulant is required while achieving the same combustion acceleration characteristics and benefits in the instance that chemical and electrical plasma stimulations are combined in simultaneous or various sequential permutations. For example, a much wider range of acceptable fuel types including impurities, e.g., such as water, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide, can be utilized while achieving the same combustion acceleration characteristics and benefits in the instance that chemical and electrical plasma stimulations are combined in simultaneous or various sequential permutations. For example, a new cycle of engine operation can be implemented by employing the disclosed technology, which provides power production and efficiency improvements by combining thermochemical regeneration, generation of auto-ignition and/or combustion modifiers to provide more particles or molecules and/or more energy per particle or molecule for work producing expansion during the power stroke or cycle than the number of particles or molecules present in the combustion chamber during the compression cycle.

[00205] Illustratively, greater utilization of relatively low grade heat, e.g., including heat ordinarily rejected by cooling fins or coolant circulated through a radiator to form auto-ignition and/or combustion modifiers, can be accomplished along with achieving the same combustion acceleration characteristics and benefits in the instance that chemical and electrical plasma stimulations are combined in simultaneous or various sequential permutations including instances in which either type of plasma generation is used without the other.

[00206] For example, rapid start-up, greater system readiness, dispatchability, and fail-safe benefits are gained by implementation of the disclosed auto-ignition and/or combustion modifiers. For example, additionally, improved combustion acceleration characteristics and benefits are gained in instances that chemical and electrical plasma stimulations are combined. Such ignition technologies are selected and/or combined in simultaneous or various sequential permutations, e.g., including operating modes and instances in which the type and magnitude of plasma generation is instantly selected to optimize the operation of each combustion chamber and torque requirement.

[00207] Thus, by injecting the primary fuel substantially at or after TDC and igniting the primary fuel with co-presented injection of a selected type and amount of the exemplary auto-ignition plasma stimulant, extremely rapid beginning of combustion and completion of combustion can be achieved. For example, such implementation of the exemplary auto-ignition plasma stimulant(s) overcomes problems of "diesel- delay" and knock, as well as overcoming combustion quenching, engine wear, carbonaceous deposits, oil contamination and corrosive condensates (e.g., which have long-plagued engines with conventional fuel-injection and ignition systems). Incorporation of the disclosed fuel-injection, ignition, and combustion sensors can enable adaptive engine control systems to optimize the use of ignition by electrical ionization of oxidants and/or fuel constituents along with the combined or exclusive use of auto-ignition, chemical plasma generation, and combustion-modification agents.

[00208] In one aspect, the disclosed adaptive control and dynamic sensing technology includes a system embodiment to enable a vehicle to operate occasionally or interchangeably in areas that do not have refueling facilities for renewable fuels. The adaptive control and dynamic sensing system includes the related systems, apparatuses, and techniques previously described as an option of improving thermal efficiency by un-throttled air, oxygen, and/or another oxidant entry into the combustion chamber of an engine. To achieve such, for example, the adaptive control and dynamic sensing system can employ the exemplary fuel injection and ignition systems 100 300, and 600A such as shown in Figures 1A, 3 and 6A, respectively, for operation with preferred fuels, e.g., such as hydrogen, methane and other renewable hydrogen donor fuel species along with various thermochemically regenerated fuel species. In some examples, the adaptive control and dynamic sensing system can also operate in combination with the pre-existing fuel storage, pressurization, and metering systems of a vehicle. In one embodiment of an adaptive control and dynamic sensing operation technique, the exemplary fuel injection and ignition subsystem of 100, 300, and 600A can provide improved ignition of fuel that is supplied to the combustion chamber by the pre-existing controller, fuel storage, and fuel metering system.

[00209] For example, the adaptive control and dynamic sensing system can include a controller such as the controller 1 10, 310, 420, 51 1 , 622A, or 622B to enable the pre-existing electric and/or mechanical analog or digital controller and fuel metering system to continue to be viable for, for example, back up and/or hybridized operations, but improved by emulation of certain sensor data (e.g., such as the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gases). Because the new operational process management by a controller, e.g., such as the controller 1 10, can provide improved performance and fuel efficiency with un-throttled oxidant entry to the combustion chamber, the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas stream will typically be greater than the previous operation with throttled or restricted oxidant entry. For example, this would cause an alarm if not malfunction of the conventional electronic control system, which is prevented by the emulated oxygen sensor signal given to the conventional controller that is provided by the controller 1 10 for allowing virtual operation by the conventional controller at the barometric pressure, temperature, piston speed, torque demand etc., of present conditions. Emulation of the "expected" oxygen signal that would be commensurate with throttled oxidant operation while actually operating with unthrottled oxidant and assured ignition with subsystem controllers 1 10, 310, 420, 51 1 , 622A, or 622B provides greatly improved engine performance and fuel efficiency.

[00210] For example, additional sensor data emulations can be provided as needed by controller 1 10 to allow the pre-existing conventional controller to remain viable and continue in some modes of operation to meter fuel from the pre-existing fuel tank and to provide optimal operation of other vehicle subsystems, e.g., such as the transmission, cooling fan, cabin air-conditioning, power take-off, power steering, power brakes, power windows, power seats, windshield wipers, ride control, and radio, etc.

[00211] For example, in an ignition-only mode of operation of an exemplary fuel injection and ignition system with un-throttled oxidant, the projection of stratified oxidant plasma by the system (e.g., system 100, 300, or 600A) provides much faster beginning and completion of combustion than a conventional spark plug that it replaces. This improves performance and fuel efficiency because a heat conserving stratified charge of oxidizing plasma suddenly penetrates an adaptively adjusted distance into the combustion chamber one or more times per power cycle to initiate combustion of a far greater population of fuel and oxidant combinations than possible with a conventional spark plug. Adaptive projection provides plasma ignition capacity and efficiency by such exemplary systems 100, 300, or 600A that is far greater in comparison with conventional spark plug ignition. For example, this is because of the limitations of the relatively smaller population of fuel and oxidant particles influenced and subsequent heat quenching that slows combustion, produces emissions, and severely limits the ignitable fuel to oxidant ratio of the far smaller volume of fuel and oxidant particles that can be activated within the spark plug gap.

[00212] In another embodiment of the adaptive control and dynamic sensing technology, the controller 100, 300, 509B, or 600A can provide interactive engine control with a pre-existing engine controller to provide emulation of pertinent sensor values, e.g., such as the mass air flow and exhaust gas oxygen content to enable the pre-existing engine controller and fuel pressurization and metering system to deliver fuel to the combustion chamber at an actual fuel-air ratio that would be too lean for conventional spark, plasma, or projected plasma ignition. Improved engine performance, fuel economy and vehicle range are achieved by adaptive timing of injection and ignition of electrically and/or chemically induced plasma rays that are projected into the fuel-air mass presented by the pre-existing system. Such plasma rays may be comprised of fuel value particles derived from thermochemically regenerated substances (e.g., such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen) and/or other combustion accelerants (e.g., such as dimethyl ether, diethyl ether, acetaldehyde, or cyclohexane).

[00213] In operation of a converted homogeneous charge engine, the pre-existing controller and the described adaptive control and dynamic sensing fuel delivery system respond to emulated information such as the mass air flow and exhaust oxygen concentration signals, e.g., similar to values corresponding to a vehicle with cruise control going down a long hill at fuel consumption rates that soar to 50 or 100 mpg. The controller of the adaptive control and dynamic sensing system actually achieves greatly improved performance and fuel economy on level and/or climbing grade roadways by operating the engine with un-throttled air entry and stratified charge delivery of plasma ignition rays to provide assured ignition at far lean overall fuel-air ratios. For example, other electronic control functions, e.g., such as the transmission, brakes, air conditioner, and various other power assist functions, continue to be controlled by one or more pre-existing controllers.

[00214] Operation of a converted diesel engine is similarly achieved, as the controller of the adaptive control and dynamic sensing system provides adaptively optimized timing of events selected from the group, e.g., including beginning of oxidant plasma injection, duration of oxidant plasma injection, beginning of fuel injection, duration of fuel injection, beginning of fuel plasma injection, duration of fuel plasma injection, beginning of coolant injection, duration of coolant injection and time durations between repeats of such events. [00215] In another exemplary mode of operation, stratified charge oxidant plasma can optionally be projected into the combustion chamber followed by one or more stratified charge fuel plasma injections to provide faster beginning and completion of combustion of preferred fuel species and/or conventional fuel particles. For example, this can provide further improvements of engine performance and even greater reductions or elimination of carbon dioxide and oxides of nitrogen as a result of the adaptive selections of combined operations. Exemplary benefits gained include far greater range of operation, increased engine performance and longevity along with improved fuel economy including conventional and/or preferred fuel utilization.

[00216] In other exemplary modes of operation, the conventional fuel metering system can be inhibited or otherwise managed by a the controller (e.g., such as the controller 1 10) of the described adaptive control and dynamic sensing system to enable a pre-existing engine controller to perform virtual fuel metering and ignition operations for the purposes of having the controller 1 10 adaptively manage and optimize actual operations of the combustion chamber with preferred or conventional fuel selections that are directly injected and utilized. For example, this can provide further fuel economy and performance improvements including greater oxidant utilization efficiency including surplus oxidant insulation of fuel particles from combustion chamber quench zones near the piston, cylinder walls, and head components. For example, stratified charge oxidant plasma can optionally be projected into the combustion chamber followed by one or more stratified charge fuel plasma injections to provide much faster beginning and completion of combustion of preferred fuel species and/or conventional fuels with improved engine performance and even greater reductions or elimination of carbon dioxide and oxides of nitrogen as a result of the combined selections of operations.

[00217] For example, this enables a relatively low-cost controller, such as the controller 1 10 of the adaptive control and dynamic sensing system, to control a preexisting controller with greatly improved combined operations including very rapid and convenient engine and/or vehicle conversion to operation with much less pollutive and substantially less expensive preferred fuels and thus provide rapidly accomplished improvement of return-on-investment in the subject vehicle. Such exemplary advantages of employing the disclosed adaptive control and dynamic sensing technology can enable quick and sure conversion to enable operation on preferred fuel, continued operation and management by the pre-existing controller and wiring systems with the original tried-and-proven subsystems, extended engine life and productivity along with higher vehicle re-sale value.

[00218] This includes management by the pre-existing controller of subsystems such as the transmission, anti-slip driveline components, cooling fan, power steering, power brakes, windshield wipers, power windows, air conditioning system, power seats, radio and other such subsystems while engine operation improvements such as stratified charge oxidant plasma ignition, stratified charge fuel plasma ignition, stratified charge oxidant and/or stratified charge fuel plasma ignition of fuel stored and/or metered by pre-existing controller and various other combinational permutations including operation with un-throttled oxidant entry into the combustion chamber.

[00219] Additional performance and fuel efficiency optimization is provided by application of new controller features (e.g., such as may be provided by the controller 1 10, 509B, etc.) to manage the flows of coolant and/or exhaust gases. In this regard, for example, coolant may be diverted from the radiator to include heat exchangers that pressurize a fuel or coolant in sub-circuits, e.g., such as heat exchanger elements 240, 532, 534, 510, 528 interfacing combustion chamber 504 shown in Figure 5, and to similarly control the flow of exhaust gases to supply heat and/or substances for thermochemical regeneration processes in reactors 126, 128, 130, 132, 134, 174A, 806, 807, 818 etc., of the TCR system, as shown in Figures 3, 5 8A, 8B and other embodiments. Such adaptive management of energy conversion operations includes operating a valve and/or flow divider of an intake and/or exhaust system (e.g., such as valve 1 14, 136A-D, 966, 970, 976 shown in Figures 1A, 3, and 9D) to provide for delivery of sufficient exhaust gases to supply condensates to collection in the reservoir 164, tank 952 or accumulator 993and/or management of power cooling fluids to the combustion chambers and/or turbo expanders (e.g., such as the turbo expander 989 of the system 950 shown in Figure 9D) and the flow of exhaust gases to one or more turbochargers 989 to meet oxidant pressurization boost, torque production, and power generation requirements. [00220] For example, this includes adaptive management of one or more fuel and/or coolant injections to the combustion chamber during adaptively timed periods within the intake, compression, power, or exhaust events for improving primary engine and/or turbo performance. It also includes coordinated adaptive management of a valve and/or flow divider of an exhaust system (e.g., such as the exemplary flow control valve 136E to an alternate subsystem) and a fuel and/or coolant injection through manifold 978 (and/or by an injector such as the injector 983 shown in Figure 9D) to improve the performance and capacity of such turbo expander (e.g., turbo expander 989).

[00221] In certain instances it is desirable to provide fuel delivery through manifold 978 to suitable intake system ports for occasional operation with a homogeneous charge combustion and/or with a far-lean homogeneous charge mixture that may be too lean to be spark ignited in conjunction with a stratified charge injection to assure rapid and vigorous ignition using fuel delivered through valve 947 and/or 949 for direct injection by injectors 983. Similar arrangements are provided by gasket 200 as shown in Figure 10A for homogenous charge and/or stratified charge combustion that may or may not be utilized in conjunction with the system 950. System 980 provides preparation and/or injection of chemical plasma generation agents to provide for such operational combinations and permutations and may be used with or without the spark, Lorentz, or corona ignition systems of systems 900 and 970. Several exemplary embodiments have been disclosed in this patent document that enable the ability to combine: (1 ) fuel pressure assisted opening of fuel control valve; (2) combustion pressure assisted closing of fuel control valve; (3) pulsed Lorentz force acceleration of ion currents - for example, to produce one or multiple bursts of oxidant and/or fuel ions; (4) combination of multiple fuel control valve openings near TDC and/or during power stroke along with multiple Lorentz bursts to subdivide and accelerate each valve burst; (5) Lorentz acceleration of oxidant and/or fuel ion currents to produce particle burst projections that enter combustion chamber at speeds exceeding speed of sound (e.g., exceed choked flow Mach 1 limit); and (6) exemplary adaptive control and dynamic sensing technologies that include relatively low cost computer/controller units that can optimize engine performance and improve fuel economy by adaptive engine management including stratified charge oxidant and/or plasma, stratified charge fuel and or plasma presentation and master the much more expensive pre-existing vehicle controller to remain ready and viable by virtual operation of engine management with improved performance and fuel economy while further enabling continued benefits provided by the pre-existing controller in actual operation with miles of pre-existing wiring systems and pre-existing sub systems such as the electronically controlled transmission, power take off, track sanders, power brakes, power steering, power windows, power seats, seat warmer, power air-sampling and vent, power entertainment system, etc.

[00222] For example, controllers such as 154A, 154B, 509B, , 420, 622A, or 622B and any of the various sub-systems or injector embodiments disclosed can be used to adaptively control permutations and combinations of energy conversion operations (e.g., such as in engine and/or fuel cells). Such exemplary energy conversion operations include, but are not limited to:

[00223] (1 ) Energy Conversion to produce increased fuel pressure - including motive (power take-off pump) and/or regenerative electrical and/or pneumatic pump, and/or harvested waste energy (thermal heat exchange from coolant or exhaust) into pressure potential energy of fuel (e.g., such as fuel stored in fuel container 804, 952, or other suitable sources. );

[00224] (2) Energy Conversion (e.g., using heat exchangers such as heat exchangers 126, 130, 134, 174A, 806, 807, 818, 968, 974A, 974B, etc.,) to produce increased chemical potential energy by endothermic respeciation reactions, exemplified as follows:

CH + H2O + HEAT→ CO + 3H2 ; or

CHsOH + HEAT→ CO + 2H ₂

[00225] (3) Energy Conversion to produce special purposed chemical plasma (e.g., which can be implemented for auto-ignition of exemplary chemical plasma generation agents upon access to oxidant and/or kindling rapid initiation of oxidation and/or combustion of other fuel constituents - for example, which can be produced by respeciation (e.g., such as by the respeciation system 514 of Figure 5), e.g., such as DEE, DME, acetylene, etc.); [00226] (4) Energy Conversion to produce fuel cell or combustion activation by one or more agents (e.g., such as DEE, DME or acetylene) to produce chemical plasma production;

[00227] (5) H2 and/or O2 production by electrolysis to regenerate reactor media - and/or for any of above purposes using motive (power take-off alternator) regenerative electricity or heat, or harvested waste, energy (thermal heat exchange from coolant or exhaust) including energy conversion into pressure potential energy of fuel;

[00228] (6) Energy conversion with fail-safe production of electrical and/or chemical plasma fuel activation for fuel cell and/or combustion;

[00229] (7) Extraction and/or enrichment of certain constituents (e.g., water) of exhaust gases from a heat engine or fuel cell (e.g., implementing the unit including motor 156, 989 and expander compressor 81 1 ) by densification separation resulting from heat extraction (e.g., implementing the heat exchangers 166, 174A, etc., ), pressurization (e.g., implementing the expander compressor 81 1 centrifugal acceleration) and/or absorptive incorporation (e.g., implementing a reservoir / vessel such as 164);

[00230] (8) Operation of an apparatus or device (e.g., implementing the unit including motor 156 and expander compressor 81 1 ) as a compressor, expander, and/or constituent separator for purposes such as increasing the BMEP and/or volumetric efficiency of a heat engine by reducing the exhaust pressure, increasing the pressure of exhaust gases to increase the rate of heat exchange for endothermic reactions (e.g., in the heat exchangers 974A, 974B and/or the countercurrent heat exchanger 174A and/or 968), increasing the pressure of exhaust gases to increase the rate of constituent separation (e.g., water separation at an expander compressor such as 81 1 from N2 and/or O2 in exhaust stream);

[00231] (9) Operation of an apparatus or device (e.g., implementing the unit including motor 156 or expander compressor 81 1 ) as a compressor, expander, and/or constituent separator in which exhaust gases are expanded during selected portions of the exhaust stroke of a heat engine, and/or compressed during selected portions of the intake, compression, and/or power strokes of the engine; [00232] (10) Proportional control of production (e.g., implementing the respeciator system 514) and/or utilization of one or more chemical plasma generation agents and/or special purpose agents (e.g., H2 and/or O2) to optimize fuel efficiency, power production, and/or emissions control; and engine longevity.

[00233] (1 1 ) Adaptive control of fuel injection rates, penetration patterns and combustion characteristics by control of the stroke of metering valve including inwardly, outwardly, sliding, radial inward and radial outward opening metering valve embodiments.

[00234] Figures 7A and 7B show an exemplary fuel injection and ignition system 700 including multiple control valves that can be used to provide extensive variations of controlled combustion characteristics including a wide variety of combinations and permutations regarding the delivery timing, flow rates, flow intervals, and pressure along with the ability to augment such operations with electric plasma ignition and/or Lorentz acceleration. The system 700 includes control valves 727A, 727B, 727C, 727D, 727E, and 727F and/or 767. This enables optimized utilization of an extremely wide range of fuel selections and conditions in virtually all known types of combustion chambers. In an illustrative example of using the valves 727A-727F to control various fuels, the valve assembly 727A could be used to control natural gas, the valve 727B could be used to control DME, the valve 727C could be used to control propane, the valve 727D could be used to control DEE, the valve 727E could be used to control formic acid, and the valve 727F could be used to control hydrogen. Operations of such valves 727A-727F to control such substances can be in any sequence or combination or permutation to optimize outcomes, e.g., such as engine performance, range, and minimization or elimination of objectionable emissions goals.

[00235] Figure 8A shows a schematic of a system 800 to produce hydrogen by separation from a hydrogen donor compound, e.g., such as natural gas, methane, methanol, ethane, ethanol, ammonia, urea, guanidine, etc. For example, the system 800 can be implemented to provide a highly efficient use of relatively low grade waste heat to produce more hydrogen than the same magnitude of high grade electrical energy would produce by electrolysis of water. [00236] In an illustrative example, a donor compound (e.g., such as methane) may be heated from a suitable tank, pipeline or another source 804 at 15 °C to 105 °C by (H1 ) from engine coolant in countercurrent heat exchanger 806 and then from 105 °C to a higher temperature such as about 480 °C by heat (H2) transferred from the engine exhaust in countercurrent heat exchanger 807, and then regenerative heat (H3) may be utilized as an additional source of heat to produce a greater percentage of hydrogen, or produce hydrogen and carbon more rapidly and/or at higher pressure and/or higher temperature. As shown in both Figures 8A and 8B, the system 800 includes a heat bank exchanger canister 816 containing an exemplary honeycomb structure 824 (shown in Figure 8B) or other arrangement for countercurrent heat exchanges and reactions that deposit carbon for removal and utilization for durable goods manufacturing, and/or as a thermal bank, and/or as a chemical potential energy bank.

[00237] Donor fuel transferred from the source 804 may initially be heated by heat from an engine coolant to about 105 °C in heat exchanger 806. Donor fuel is then further heated by counter current heat exchange with hydrogen and/or methane in heat exchanger 807. The mixture of hydrogen and donor fuel may be utilized as an elevated temperature and thus chemically activated fuel by injection through injectors 810 in gasket 200 such as through ports 240A-D and/or 241 A-D and/or 102 into a combustion chamber. Inserts in certain embodiments including some or all of ports 240A-D and/or 241A-D in assembly 200 can be utilized in conjunction with a suitable chemical plasma dispenser along with a spark, prechamber, Lorentz, corona, or ultraviolet generator such as 202, 204, 208, 240A-D, 241 A-D, or 245 such as a microwave or RF magnetron and/or another solid state system such as can be based on one or more power devices such as diodes or transistors including selections such as Freescale MMRF1006H or MMRF1007H and/or products from other sources such as ASI (Advanced Semiconductor

<http://www.advancedsemiconductor.com/index_trans.html >). Alternatively, for example, such mixtures of hydrogen and donor fuel may be used as a heat source in heat exchanger 808 for various useful applications such as heating domestic water or cooking. [00238] The temperature of the fuel such as hydrogen or fuel mixture can be adjusted by heat exchanger 817 which can range from preheating fuel from source 804 to incandescent temperatures produced by a suitable source such as by a generator such as 815. Fuel flow direction is controlled by the settings of valves 823 and/or 825. This enables storage of cooled hydrogen characterized fuel to pass through valve 821 for storage in accumulator 819 for dampening the pressure and/or for later utilization such as providing pressurized hydrogen and/or chemical plasma agents for starting a cold engine or fuel cell. In the alternative it enables production and storage of heated fuel such as hydrogen or hydrogen characterized fuel mixtures or intermediates to serve as an auto-ignition and/or supersonic combustion stimulant in subsequent warm engine operation.

[00239] Illustratively, for example, heat available from an engine or fuel cell coolant may be selected to transfer heat (H1 ) through the heat exchanger 806 to the selected hydrogen donor. The exhaust gases from an exhaust system 812 of a host engine or fuel cell may be delivered directly from the engine or after serving in a secondary application such as a turbocharger or turbo-generator 81 1 , and thus may serve as another source for heat (H2). Regenerative braking or other renewable energy sources such as conversions of solar, wind, moving water and/or geothermal energy by a generator 815 may also be selected for transferring heat (H3) through one or more heater elements 818 that are inserted or integrated into the heat bank exchanger 816, as also shown in Figure 8B, e.g., for increasing the rate for conversion of the selected hydrogen donor passing in counter-current passageways 820 to form hydrogen.

[00240] Hydrogen donor compounds that contain carbon are converted by the process summarized in Equation 1 . Equation 10 shows partial dissociation of methane to produce carbon along with a mixture of hydrogen and methane.

CxHy + HEAT (H1 + H2 and/or H3)→ xC + 0.5yH ₂ Equation 1

CH + HEAT (H1 + H2 and/or H3)→ C + 2H ₂ + CH Equation 10

[00241] The completeness of the generalized reaction such as shown in Equation 10 may be varied depending upon control of process parameters such as temperature, pressure, chemical availability or activity, and dwell time. For example, a much greater percentage of hydrogen in the resulting mixture of methane and hydrogen can be provided by utilization of regenerative or renewable or off-peak energy to increase the temperature in reactor 816 and/or in a particular region such as zone 814 of the reactor 816. This is highly desirable in instances that carbon is collected in the reactor 816 to efficiently store surplus energy, serve as a source of material to produce durable goods, and/or to reduce the presence of carbon products in the engine exhaust and/or to utilize hydrogen as a combustion stimulant and accelerator and/or to utilize hydrogen in the combustion regime including facilitation of exhaust gas recirculation and/or stratified charge combustion and/or in various after- treatment processes to reduce or eliminate oxides of nitrogen.

[00242] For example, hydrogen rapidly diffuses or passes through various membranes 809 such as various temperature rated proton conducting membranes; micro-porous ceramics such as zeolites, titania, zirconia, carbon, or alumina; polymers such as PTFE or polyethersulfone that enable diffusive separation; metal alloys such as silver-palladium alloys or may be removed by a selective adsorptive filter to reduce its partial pressure and/or chemical availability. Reduction of the partial pressure of hydrogen shifts reactions such as depicted in Equations 1 and 1 0 towards greater conversion of the feedstock to carbon and hydrogen. Similarly reducing the partial pressure of gases, e.g., such as hydrogen, by heat removal through a heat exchanger, e.g., such as the heat exchanger 808, to produce a lower pressure at cooler temperature shifts the reactions to increase the conversion of feedstock to carbon and hydrogen.

[00243] In some implementations, it is highly desirable to utilize precipitated or otherwise separated and collected carbon in the heat bank exchanger canister 816 as the media of a thermal storage bank or battery that receives and stores heat transferred from the exhaust gases (e.g., via exhaust system 812) that are routed through the heat exchanger 816 along with occasionally available regenerative energy or intermittent renewable energy that may be stored in the zone 814. For example, various types and forms of carbon are appropriate for optimizing the performance in such thermal battery applications. For example, high thermal conductivity graphite of the honeycomb structure 824 with high specific heat capacity and with heat exchange passageways such as countercurrent passageways can be utilized for facilitating storage and transfer of heat. For example, heat transferred from the exhaust system 813 can be utilized to heat the hydrogen donor reactant in passageways 824 of heat exchanger 816 to receive and store and bank heat for continued hydrogen production in stop and go driving conditions. For example, very low thermal conductivity layers of the exfoliated graphite or flaked graphene can be used to insulate the outer layers of the reactor 816 within a ceramic or heat resisting shell.

[00244] In some implementations, more or less epitaxial deposition of precipitated carbon on surfaces of the substrate 824 provides combined thermal and potential chemical energy storage. For example, such potential energy storage of carbon may be utilized in a fuel cell circuit to produce electricity and carbon monoxide and/or carbon dioxide. Examples of such are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application 13/764,346, entitled "FUEL-CELL SYSTEMS OPERABLE IN MULTIPLE MODES FOR VARIABLE PROCESSING OF FEEDSTOCK MATERIALS AND ASSOCIATED DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS", which is incorporated by reference in its entirety as part of the disclosure in this patent document. Alternatively, for example, such stored carbon may be occasionally reacted with an oxygen donor such as steam, oxygen or air to produce gases for combustion in a heat engine. Equation 1 1 summarizes an exemplary endothermic application.

C + H2O + HEAT (H1 + H2 and/or H3)→ CO + 2H ₂ Equation 1 1

[00245] Equation 12 summarizes an exemplary exothermic application of such carbon for chemical potential energy (H4) storage in which an oxide of carbon such as carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide is provided as a gaseous fuel for application in a fuel cell or heat engine.

C + 0.5O2→ CO + HEAT (H4) Equation 12

[00246] Heat (H4) may be utilized to supplement heat from other sources such as H1 , H2, and/or H3 as needed.

[00247] A remarkable variety of durable goods can be made from the carbon that is selectively collected in the process. For example, products range from various forms of diamond to activated carbon filter media. Figure 9A shows a block diagram of a system 900 to produce and inject ions in one or more suitable patterns to stimulate and/or accelerate completion of combustion from injection ports provided in gasket 200 or 10250 or injectors 102, 600A, 700, 10500 as shown. Figure 9B shows system 970 to generate positive and/or negative corona by antenna in gasket 200 or 10250 and/or injectors 102, 600A, 700, 10500 to stimulate and/or accelerate completion of combustion. Figure 9C shows system 980 for producing chemical plasma agents that can be injected through ports in gasket 200 or 10250 and/or injectors 102, 600A, 700, 10500 to stimulate and/or accelerate completion of combustion. Figure 9D shows an exemplary embodiment 950 for utilizing systems 900, 970, 980 or 990.

[00248] Figure 9E shows a block diagram system 990 of an exemplary cost- effective method to produce highly valuable carbon enhanced products such as fiber for reinforcing composited components, electrical and/or thermal capacitors, filter assemblies etc., from carbon such as produced according to Equations 1 and/or 2 for purification and/or other treatments of water, air, refreshment or alcoholic beverages, and many other fluids. System 990 includes a process to purify a selected carbon donor feedstock, e.g., such as methane, ethane, propane, or butane from natural gas or another source such as may be produced by anaerobic digestion and/or anaerobic thermal dissociation conversion of biomass. For example, such purification includes scrubbing, filtering, precipitation of impurities and various distillation processes. In some implementations of the process it may be particularly beneficial to utilize cooling processes to provide cryogenic liquid methane from such anaerobic production processes including natural gas for purposes of removal of impurities and enabling dense shipment and storage of liquid natural gas (LNG). Similarly, for example, other carbon donor substances such as ethane, propane, or butane may be individually separated or provided in any desired combination for dense shipment and storage as liquids. The method includes a process to prepare the purified carbon donor for processing, e.g., perform pre-processing of the carbon donor including pressure and temperature adjustments.

[00249] In some implementations, the purified carbon donor is prepared in a processing canister including a suitably insulated and contained ceramic substrate, such as a carbon based counter-current heat exchanger in a suitable form such as a honeycomb for hosting deposits of carbon by the process, summarized in Equations 10 and 1 1 . The method of system 100, 300, 800, or 950 includes a process to heat and deposit the purified carbon donor substance on filter media, curtain or another ceramic substrate material such as 824. In some implementations of the process a purified carbon donor substance from dense storage in a suitable tank is heated by suitable heat exchanges with warmer sources as indicated previously including hydrogen that is produced by processes summarized in Equations 1 or 10.

[00250] For example, implementation of the process can serve multiple purposes by such heating and deposition of carbon on the ceramic substrate, including conversion of low grade heat rejected by a fuel cell or heat engine and/or regenerative and/or renewable energy and/or off-peak energy to stored chemical potential energy and/or filter media. The method 900 includes a process 908 to provide adaptively controlled admission of the carbon donor to the substrate. The method includes a process to produce a filter assembly by growing the carbon on the ceramic substrate. For example, in some implementations, after achieving a suitable deposit of carbon on the ceramic substrate, the canister assembly is removed, tested for structural and chemical compliance, and packaged including additions of fittings, electrical connections, and addition of suitable labels such as product identification and directions for achieving best performance etc.

[00251] Another illustrative application of such carbon is to serve as nano-spaced graphene based catalytic media with selected channels or processors such as 240A- D, 241 B, 406, 10243A, 10243B, etc., to produce chemical plasma agents for direct injection such as illustratively shown by Equations 4B, 4C, and other reactions including electrochemical processes. Other reactions promoted by such carbon configurations include production of various other chemical and/or electrochemical plasma inducing agents such as helium extracted from natural gas, or selections of the argon group (e.g. argon, neon, krypton, xenon, etc.,) from air, or acetaldehyde and hydrogen from ethane or ethanol.

[00252] Fittings include those with instrumentation capabilities for detecting chemical identifiers on the inlet and/or outlet, e.g., such as disclosed in U.S. Patent 8,312,759 and co-pending U.S. Patent applications 12/806,634 and 61/682,681 , each document is incorporated by reference in their entirety as part of the disclosure in this patent document, for example, for the purpose of detecting and reacting to any harmful substances along with providing trend information to enable planned maintenance and scheduling replacement of such filters. The method includes a process to further specialize the formed filter assembly. For example, the process can include activating or preserving activation of the carbon in a suitable packaging embodiment. For example, an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), or any qualified supply chain entity or an end user, may condition the canister for further specialized functions, e.g., such as addition of biocide or biostatic agents, addition of flavors for alcoholic or other beverages, or refreshing aroma sources for various air treatments.

[00253] In one embodiment, steps for adaptively optimizing operation of an internal combustion piston engine is provided. As disclosed, systems 100, 300, 800 and/or 950 provide operation of an internal combustion piston engine with unthrottled air intake. This can include direct injection of hydrogen or hydrogen-characterized fuel. As shown in Figures 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D Systems and operations 900, 950, 970, and/or 980 provide production of ions of fuel or oxidant to initiate combustion at a distance from combustion chamber surfaces by either or both of two alternate ignition modes.

[00254] Illustratively a mode of alternate ignition is by ion production by Lorentz- ion thrust and discharge into the combustion chamber. Another alternative ignition is by ions that are produced by corona discharge. Another alternative provides the synergistic combination of spark, Lorentz, corona and/or chemical plasma ignition and/or acceleration of combustion completion. Any or all such systems can be provided by subsystems in or through gasket 200 or 10250 and/or by one or more separate injectors and/or igniters.

Accordingly, improved engine operation with much cleaner and less expensive fuel selections compared to diesel fuel can be provided by an adaptive control regime based on sensors and/or ignition systems that are incorporated in a new head gasket assembly 200 or 10250 as shown. Additional features and advantageous operation may be provided by indirect and/or direct fuel injection including Lorentz ion thrusting and injection pattern control by embodiment 100

[00255] Referring to the drawings of Figures 10A and 10B, Figure 10A shows a diagram of an exemplary multifunctional gasket assembly 10250 capable of producing Lorentz force and corona discharge for implementing fuel ignition and cleaning applications in a chamber. Figure 10B shows a diagram of the exemplary multifunctional gasket assembly 10250 implemented in a combustion chamber including an exemplary injector and/or ignition device of the disclosed technology. In some applications, for example, the gasket assembly 1 0250 can be implemented in an engine, e.g., including, but not limited to a two- or four-cycle piston engine with direct injection of fuel, to implement the various combinations of Lorentz and/or Corona ignition and/or acceleration of combustion processes.

[00256] In some examples, fuel may be injected with or without Lorentz ion current thrust and ignition may be produced by positive or negative corona that is induced by an injector that includes corona production antenna 10262A, B, etc., which may be negative or positive or alternating polarity at a suitable frequency. In some embodiments, for example, fuel and/or Lorentz thrust fuel ions can be injected into the combustion chamber, and ignition is provided by corona plasma that is generated in the penetrating fuel pattern represented by ray(s) 10241A and/or 10241 B from the gasket 10250 and/or from injector 10500 as a result of a high voltage electric field that is applied by antenna of the gasket assembly 10250 interfaced in a chamber 10239C (e.g., a combustion chamber), in which the corona discharge can include a duration such as one to a few nanoseconds including a period up to about 60 nanoseconds.

[00257] Various fluid injection patterns including selections of fuel, oxidant, and/or ionized particles produced by chemical plasma agents, spark, Lorentz, corona, partial combustion, and/or combustion can be projected into combustion chambers such as 200 or 10239C by flow directors near or at the combustion chamber interface with gasket 200 or 10250 and/or from one or more other locations as provided by injectors such as 102, 416, 516, 600A, 700, or 10500. A few of a wide variety of exemplary flow directors for patterns that range from conoid projections, to conical surfaces, to flatter ellipsoidal spreads, to filled cone sprays are more or less shown in Figure and include flat or conical louvers 860, 862, flat or conical surface holes such as slots 864, 866, straight or slanted slots in flat or conical arrays 868, 870, patterned louvers in flat or conical configurations 872, 874, and other pattern projectors such as 876, 878. In an exemplary operation, the exemplary antenna of the gasket assembly 1 0250 (e.g., which can be configured as insulated antenna) can be implemented to apply a negative field to produce ozone and/or oxides of nitrogen from the air in the combustion chamber and a field that also ionizes injected fuel particles. Such exemplary negative antenna electrode structures of the gasket 10250 may be configured to have sharp edges, rods, needles, relatively small wire loops or toroids or other field concentrating features. Positive field production from another exemplary antenna electrode structure that can be implemented at selected times and at applied frequencies, where the positive field is generated by one or more positive corona production antenna 10266. The antenna 10266 can be configured as a blunt edged wire or a ring structure that is embedded within an insulative casing 10270 of the gasket assembly 10250, e.g., ceramic or other dielectric material, e.g., such as boron nitride, aluminum oxide or mica.

[00258] An exemplary engine may utilize the multifunctional gasket assembly 10250 to increase, decrease, or maintain the effective compression ratio of the engine, e.g., which can depend upon the selection of dimensions 1 0280 for the thickness of the gasket assembly 10250, as well as selection of an interior-protruding inset based on the inner diameter dimension 10228 into the chamber 10239C, as compared to the original cylinder bore dimension 10284 of the chamber 10239C. The multifunctional gasket assembly 10250 may also be configured to receive gases and/or inject fluid such as fuel from or to the combustion chamber 10239C by transfer through a valve 10264A, B etc., from a passageway, conduit, and/or accumulator 10243A e.g., shown in cross-sectional view of Figure 10A as valve 10264A and 10264B to/from passageway 10243A and 10243B. In embodiments of the gasket assembly 10250, the valve 10264 can include a slit valve or a piezoelectric valve.

[00259] Exemplary fluid selections that may be dispensed into combustion chamber 10239C to form homogeneous mixtures or stratified-charge penetrations 10241 A, B, etc., from one or more passageways 10243 include fuels such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, ammonia, methane, ethane, propane etc., and combustion promoters such as dimethylether (DME), diethylether (DEE), metal carbonyls, acetaldehyde or other stimulants. Illustratively natural gas constituents such as methane, ethane, propane, butane can be selectively or collectively converted to combustion stimulants such as DME, DEE, DPE and/or acetaldehyde to provide various stages of combustion stimulation ranging from early in the expanding penetration pattern of injected fuel to various middle and furthest penetration distances to assure accelerated initiation and/or completion of combustion. Such selected location of each stage of combustion stimulation can be adjusted by the fuel pressure and fluid dynamics to provide subsonic to supersonic speeds of combustion as further detailed in US 61/899,1 17. Similarly oxidants such as oxygen, oxides of nitrogen, and hydrogen peroxide may be dispensed at selected times to participate in cleaning and/or combustion events.

[00260] In some embodiments, for example, an engine such as a two- or four-cycle piston engine can be converted to unthrottled air entry operation with direct injection of fuel. Fuel may be injected with or without Lorentz ion current thrust and ignition may be produced with or without positive or negative corona and/or by microwave inducement and/or by chemical plasma stimulation agents such as can be induced by an injector 10500 that includes corona production antenna electrode(s), illustrated in Figure 10B as an exemplary injection and/or injection and/or ignition sub-systems 10243A, 10270, 10262B, 10264A, 10266, of gasket 10250 and/or insert subsystems 10282, 10283, 10286 of combustion chamber inserts as shown. In some embodiments, for example, fuel and/or Lorentz thrust fuel ions are injected into the combustion chamber, and ignition is provided by corona discharge that is generated in a predetermined penetrating fuel pattern, e.g., as a result of a high voltage electric field that is applied, e.g., for a duration of a few nanoseconds, by one or more of the exemplary corona-generating spaced antenna 10262A, 10262B, 10262x that can be arranged on the inner region of the gasket 1 0250 interfaced into the chamber 10239C.

[00261] In an illustrative operation, for example, application of a negative field from the exemplary insulated corona-generating antenna 10262A - 10262x of the gasket 10250 can produce ozone and/or oxides of nitrogen from the air in the combustion chamber 10239C and a field that also ionizes fuel particles in the injected fuel penetration pattern, e.g., such as hydrogen and/or other fuels such as methane, propane or nitrogenous substances, to accelerate ignition and/or completion of combustion. The positive corona antenna 10266, e.g., such as a wire, ring, or rounded plate, may be mounted to the surface of, protrude from, or be recessed within the exemplary ceramic or dielectric material of the body 10270, as shown in the inset diagrams of Figures 10A and 10B.

[00262] As shown in Figure 10B, various combinations of oxidation activation by Lorentz ion thrusting, fuel injection, fuel ion current thrusting in predetermined penetration patterns 10254, along with positive or negative corona production, can be implemented by the exemplary multifunctional injection and/or ignition device 10500 interfaced with the exemplary combustion chamber 10239C containing an exemplary multifunctional gasket 10250 at the top or upper portion of the combustion cylinder. Such configuration of the devicel 0500 and gasket assembly 10250 with a combustion chamber can be implemented to meet a wide range of operating conditions. For example, an exemplary operation can include positive or negative corona production in the chamber 10239C by the exemplary corona-generating antenna 10262A, 10262B, etc., of the gasket 10250, by one or more other combustion chamber electrode inserts in locations configured on the piston 1 0278 for positive corona production (e.g., via a ring, circular plate, or wire antenna 10282 on the piston 10278) or negative corona production (e.g., via protruding, sharp-ended antenna 10283 on the piston 10278), and/or by the valve 1 0276A for negative corona production (e.g., via protruding, sharp-ended antenna 10285 on the valve 10276A) or positive corona production(e.g., via a ring, circular plate, or wire antenna 10286 on the valve 10276B). Illustratively, for example, the electrodes may Lorentz thrust and/or corona generate combustion chamber penetration patterns of positive or negative ions, and the electrodes 10582 may induce positive or negative corona production in such patterns, as well as electrodes 10262 and 10266 of the gasket assembly 1 0250 may induce positive or negative corona production in such patterns.

[00263] In some instances, for example, radiant, thermal or pressure energy produced in the combustion chamber can be converted into electrical energy for such operations. Adaptive combinational selections, timing, duration, and magnitude of such operational events is provided by a controller and may be utilized in combination with other controllers that are co-located with gasket assembly 10250 to optimize fuel efficiency, power production, and engine life. [00264] In other embodiments new head gasket forms and functions include valves for extracting and/or adding fluids as shown in Figure 2C which includes portions of features in a section of gasket assembly 200 between engine head 268 and block 270. Various valve types 264A and 264B include sliding, elastomeric gaping, piezoelectric gapping, magnetostrictive, magnetic fluid shaped opening/closing, and solenoid operated valves. Upon controlled opening of such valves during the compression stroke to provide pressurization of a gas such as landfill methane or to produce regenerative vehicle braking, fluid flows to passageways such as 243A and 243B for delivery to compressed gas storage. The height 280 of gasket assembly 200 and consequent changes to the compression ratio, swept configuration and dynamic swirl of gases within the combustion chamber may be compensated or otherwise altered by suitable features including a selected circumferential features 282 that reduce the effective bore 284 of block 270 and/or 268.

[00265] Increasing the height 280 and/or modifications 282 enable higher oxidant- utilization efficiency in which one or more injected fuel patterns that may be commensurately or serially provided encounter oxidant more quickly for acceleration of combustion within insulating oxidant inventory. This is particularly beneficial for initially rich fuel-air mixtures that burn more rapidly and complete combustion by retention of heat within insulating air.

[00266] In various instances fluid such as gas is added to the combustion chamber through passageways 265 and/or 266 and valves such as 265 and 266. At other times gas can be allowed to pass out of the combustion chamber during the compression stroke for one or more selected immediate uses and/or storage to:

• Enable regenerative braking or deceleration whereby kinetic energy is converted into pressure energy and/or chemical potential energy.

• Enable gas powered auxiliary equipment operation

• Boost a turbocharger or supercharger

• Supply compressed gas such as fuel mixtures for separation of hydrogen from carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide or nitrogen or alternatively for separation of air constituents (i.e. N2, O2, Ar, CO2 etc.,) by pressurized filtration, PSA, TSA, or other techniques.

• Enable utilization of pressure energy to be stored as pressurized gas, which may be further energized by additions of H1 , H2 and/or H3 to increase the temperature and/or pressure, and be added to the combustion chamber in the power stroke provide a new regenerative engine cycle of operation with greater BMEP and increased fuel economy.

[00267] Provide heat addition or removal and control and/or promotion of reactions hosted within passageways or reaction zones within the head gasket and/or that occur more rapidly or more efficiently by extraction of a reaction product such as removal of CO or H2 by filtration and/or galvanic impetus from TCR reactions such as:

CH + H2O + HEAT→ CO + 3H2

[00268] And/or that occur in conjunction with reactions hosted by a separation tube in the exhaust manifold.

[00269] And/or that occur in conjunction with reactions that condense a reaction product by heat transfer to cooler substances such as to stored fuel and/or by countercurrent heat exchange whereby fuel such as fuel alcohols, urea, ammonia, or cryogenic LNG is preheated for TCR conversion

[00270] Provide pressurized and/or further energized fuel for driving chemical reactions such as:

CH + H2O→ CH3OH + H2 or N2 + 3H2→ 2NHs

[00271] Some embodiments utilize chemical reaction processes within the new head gasket 200 to provide new outcomes including selective extraction of nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor etc., during power and/or compression strokes. Shown in Figure 9D is system 950 for utilizing tank 952 to store fuel selections including liquids such as fuel alcohols, formic acid, or cryogenic selections such as CH ₄ and/or H2 and one or more gases such as pressurized methane, ethane, propane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen etc. This enables most tanks that are capable of pressurized storage of natural gas or hydrogen to be repurposed to store liquid fuels in addition to a pressurizing gas that can be produced by conversion of a feedstock of certain density to products of lower density. Illustratively liquid fuel alcohols such as methanol or ethanol can be heated by engine coolant (H1 ) and/or exhaust gases (H2) and/or a suitable source of electricity or radiation (H3) to produce dissociation products such as CO and hydrogen to pressurize tank 952.

[00272] Barriers such as diaphragm 953 enables separation of two or more liquid fuel selections that can be loaded into tank 952 such as by separate ports 943 through selector valve 944 or by port 942 through selector valve 966. Refilling a relatively empty tank at low pressure can start with loading the liquid fuel selection(s) at ambient pressure and then pressurizing the contents by addition of higher pressure gaseous fuel or by vaporization and/or dissociation of the liquid fuel. Selector valve 966 enables selection of liquid through filter 954 or gaseous contents through filter 956. Startup of a cold engine with gaseous fuel such as hydrogen characterized mixtures is routed from filter 956 to valve 966 through line 972 to valve 947 to accumulator 993 and valve 949 to injectors such as 983. Other operations including thermochemical regenerative production of gaseous fuels from liquids such as LNG or gases such as CNG is further disclosed in US application 14/148,644 which is incorporated by reference herein.

[00273] Accordingly engine rebuilders are provided with a selection of head gaskets to enable re-manufactured engines to be utilized or become:

[00274] Unthrottled CHP engine-generator-heat exchanger systems including engines that utilize corona acceleration of ignition and completion of combustion of stratified charge fuels such as CH4 after TDC for higher BMEP and compliance with stringent Tier 4 emission regulations. This is particularly effective for utilizing hydrocarbon fuels to be used directly on start-up before TCR processed hydrogen- characterized fuels are produced.

[00275] Chemical process reactors for widely varying chemical operations including net hydrogen carrier fuels such as METROL by production of constituents such as CHsOH, CH N ₂ 0, NHs, CH2O, HCOOH, etc.

[00276] Unthrottled transportation engines that overcome Tier 2 limitations and readily achieve Tier 4 emissions requirements by utilizing corona acceleration of ignition and completion of combustion of stratified charge fuels after TDC for higher BMEP for fuel selections such as paraffinic fuels i.e. CH ₄ , C2H6, C3H8 etc. This is particularly beneficial for utilizing such fuels before more advantageous hydrogen- characterized fuel is available from TCR processes.

FURTHER EXAMPLES:

[00277] Example 1 : Operation of an internal combustion piston engine with unthrottled air intake, direct injection of hydrogen or hydrogen-characterized fuel, production of ions of fuel or oxidant to initiate combustion at a distance from combustion chamber surfaces.

[00278] Example 2: Operation as in Example 1 in which said ions are produced by Lorentz discharge.

[00279] Example 3: Operation as in Example 1 in which said ions are produced by corona discharge.

[00280] Example 4: Operation as in Example 1 in which said ions are produced by combination of Lorentz and corona discharges.

[00281] Example 5: Operation as in Examples 1 , 2, 3 or 4 in which said engine is occasionally operated with throttled air intake and occasionally operated with unthrottled air intake.

[00282] Example 6: Adaptive operation of an engine by one or more components in the head gasket.

[00283] Example 7: Adaptive operation as in Example 6 in which further modification of operation is provided by one or more components in the fuel injector.

[00284] Example 8: A system for creating chemical agents for acceleration of ignition and/or completion of combustion from constituents of natural gas such as methane to produce dimethylether, ethane to produce diethylether or acetaldehyde, propane to produce dipropylether in applications such as direct or prechamber injection by subsystems of gasket 200 and/or by direct or prechamber injection by devices that can take the place of a conventional spark plug and/or liquid i.e. diesel fuel injector.

[00285] Example 9: A system for creating chemical agents including metal compounds such as nickel or iron carbonyls for acceleration of ignition and/or completion of combustion whereby such agents are produced from metal donor substances and derivatives of natural gas such carbon monoxide and wherein such agents can be introduced into a combustion chamber by direct or prechamber injection by subsystems of gasket 200 and/or by direct or prechamber injection by devices that can take the place of a conventional spark plug and/or a fuel injector for liquids such as gasoline or diesel fuel.

[00286] Example 10: A gasket system for sealing an internal combustion chamber of an engine between defining components including the head and block and performing at least one function selected from: modifying an electric field within said combustion chamber, sourcing an electric field within said combustion chamber, sourcing an electric field within said combustion chamber, sourcing electromagnetic radiation within said combustion chamber, sensing events within said combustion chamber, facilitating occasional removal of substance from said combustion chamber, facilitating occasional addition of substance to said combustion chamber, facilitating occasional conversion of energy from said combustion chamber into electric potential energy, facilitating occasional conversion of energy from said combustion chamber into chemical potential energy, facilitating occasional conversion of energy from said combustion chamber into pressure potential energy, facilitating modification of the combustion chamber geometry to improve air utilization efficiency for stratified charge combustion.