Direct injection gaseous fuel engine with ignition assist

1. An internal combustion engine comprises a combustion chamber defined by a cylinder, a cylinder head covering one end of said cylinder, and a piston reciprocable within said cylinder and having a piston head facing said cylinder head, said engine comprising:

(a) an intake port for introducing a charge into said combustion chamber;

(b) an exhaust port for exhausting combustion products from said combustion chamber;

(c) a fuel injection valve disposed in said cylinder head for introducing a fuel directly into said combustion chamber; and

(d) an ignition assist apparatus disposed within said combustion chamber comprising an electric incandescent ignitor with a sleeve disposed around said ignitor and a catalytic alloy deposited on said sleeve, said catalytic alloy comprising a first catalytic element with a greater affinity for oxygen than that of a second catalytic element, and said second catalytic element having a greater affinity for said fuel than that of said first catalytic element.

2. The internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said fuel injection valve is adapted to deliver a gaseous fuel.

3. The internal combustion engine of claim 2 wherein said fuel comprises methane.

4. The internal combustion engine of claim 3 wherein said gaseous fuel is natural gas.

5. The internal combustion engine of claim 2 wherein said first catalytic element is ruthenium.

6. The internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said second catalytic element is selected from the group consisting of palladium and platinium.

7. The internal combustion engine of claim 6 wherein said first catalytic element represents a higher proportion by weight of said catalytic alloy than said second catalytic element.

8. The internal combustion engine of claim 7 wherein of the catalytic material in said catalytic alloy, said first catalytic element is about 75 percent by weight.

9. The internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said sleeve comprises an interior surface facing said ignitor and an exterior surface facing said combustion chamber, and said catalytic coating is disposed on both said interior and said exterior surfaces.

10. The internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said sleeve has a tubular portion that surrounds said ignitor and an open end.

11. The internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said sleeve has a tubular portion that surrounds said ignitor, a closed end, and a plurality of holes for introducing a combustible mixture comprising said fuel into a space between said sleeve and said ignitor, and for expelling a combustion flame from said space into said combustion chamber.

12. The internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said sleeve is spaced apart from said igniter by an open annular space that surrounds said igniter and that is in communication with said combustion chamber.

13. The internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said catalytic alloy that is deposited on said sleeve is heat treated before installation in said engine.

14. A method of assisting ignition of a fuel in an operating internal combustion engine, in each engine cycle said method comprising:

(a) introducing a charge into the combustion chamber through an intake port;

(b) injecting said fuel directly into a combustion chamber;

(c) electrically heating a glow plug to assist with igniting said fuel;

(d) exhausting combustion products from said combustion chamber through an exhaust port; and

(e) shielding said glow plug with a sleeve spaced apart and substantially around the sides of said glow plug, wherein said sleeve has a catalytic coating deposited thereon, said catalytic coating comprising a first catalytic element and a second catalytic element, wherein said first catalytic element has a greater affinity for oxygen than that of said second catalytic element, and said second catalytic element has a greater affinity for said fuel than that of said first catalytic element.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said first catalytic element is ruthenium.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said second catalytic element as palladium.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said catalytic coating is deposited on the inside surface of said sleeve that faces said glow plug and the outside surface of said sleeve that faces said combustion chamber.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said fuel is natural gas.

19. The method claim 14 wherein said glow plug is heated by applying a voltage of between 10 volts and 12 volts.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein injecting said fuel starts when a piston reciprocating within said cylinder is between 40 degrees before top dead center and 10 degrees after top dead center.

21. The internal combustion engine of claim 14 wherein said catalytic alloy is heat treated by heating said sleeve and said catalytic alloy to a temperature of 500° C. to 1000° C. for at least 10 minutes.