Internal combustion engine and method with compression and expansion chambers of variable volume, a
combustion chamber, a variable intake valve for controlling air intake to the compression chamber, a variable outlet valve for controlling communication between the compression chamber and the
combustion chamber, means for introducing fuel into the
combustion chamber to form a mixture of fuel and air which burns and expands in the
combustion chamber, a variable
inlet valve for controlling communication between the
combustion chamber and the
expansion chamber, a variable
exhaust valve for controlling exhaust flow from the
expansion chamber, means for
monitoring temperature and pressure conditions, and a computer responsive to the
temperature and pressure conditions for controlling opening and closing of the valves and introduction of fuel into to the
combustion chamber to optimize
engine efficiency over a wide range of engine load conditions. In some disclosed embodiments, the relative volumes of the compression and expansion chambers and the timing of the valves are such that the pressure in the combustion chamber remains substantially constant throughout the
operating cycle of the engine, and exhaust pressures are very close to
atmospheric pressure regardless of the load on the engine. In others, the temperature within the combustion chamber is maintained at a substantially constant level throughout the operating range of the engine, and the power produced by the engine is determined by the amount of air passing through the engine. The engine runs so quietly and burns so cleanly that in some applications it may not require a
muffler and / or a
catalytic converter.