The
fuel efficiency of an internal
combustion reciprocating
piston engine may be increased through selective secondary expansion of
exhaust gas in the engine cylinders in order to recover
exhaust gas energy which is otherwise wasted by cylinder blow-down at the end of the
power stroke.
Exhaust valve cam switching, intake valve deactivation, multiple exhaust valves, a specialized
exhaust manifold arrangement and an
exhaust gas diverter valve can be configured to enable a
reciprocating engine to selectively operate in efficient eight
stroke cycle compound mode when moderate
engine power is demanded, then revert to conventional four
stroke cycle non-compound mode operation when high
engine power is demanded, without stopping the engine. For a road vehicle application, the benefit is substantially reduced highway cruising fuel consumption, while incurring minimal
impact on engine weight, minimal
impact on engine manufacturing cost, and no adverse
impact on
vehicle acceleration performance,
hill climbing performance or trailer
towing performance.