Compression ignition engine having fuel injection devices and processes for promoting cleaner burning lifted flame combustion

A mixing and combustion process for a compression ignition engine ( 10 ) creates an in-cylinder compressed gas charge of air and recirculated exhaust that has a temperature high enough to initiate and sustain combustion of diesel fuel that is subsequently injected. A fuel injector ( 26 ) injects diesel fuel directly into the charge using an injection pressure that is sufficiently great to cause fuel to be injected through each of multiple orifices arranged in a geometric pattern in a nozzle ( 42 ) of the fuel injector at an initial velocity that is great enough to cause the injected fuel in moving through the compressed gas charge to creates fuel/charge mixtures throughout a substantial portion of the respective combustion chamber before the kinematics of combustion can become effective to combust more than at most a relatively small amount of the injected fuel.