Keywords: stirling engine, recuperator, modeling, conrod-free drive, dissociating gases, vortical cooling tube.

The article discusses possible ways to improve performance of external combustion engines, viz.: better calculation methods; numerical simulation of engine components; use of conrod-free drive; use of dissociating gas as a working substance.

Keywords: reciprocating engine, combustion process, direct injection of petrol, compression rate, detonation, noxious emissions.

The authors offer a detonation-free combustion technology for petrol engines with high compression rate. The method is based on empirical dependence of noxious emissions, such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, on engine compression rate. Optimum compression rate value is derived, based on a trade-off between fuel efficiency and emission performance.

Keywords: structural steels, aluminum and titanium alloys, mechanical strength, ductility, thermal treatment, controlled gas explosion technology.

The article discusses ways to improve strength of construction materials through use of controlled gas explosion technology combined with thermal treatment. The method in question is demonstrated as a means of strengthening carbon and alloyed steels with no martempering. A method is offered of hardening carbon and alloyed steels after their quenching and subsequent aging.

Keywords: diesel engines, water/fuel emulsion, membrane emulsification, emulsion structure, reduction of noxious emissions.

A method is described that enables control over a structure of water/fuel emulsion produced with membrane emulsification technology. A dependence between engine environmental performance and emulsion structure is analyzed.

Keywords: engine soot, soot generation conditions, soot electrical conduction, structure of primary aggregates, agglutination of heavy fuel aggregates.

A comparative analysis is carried out of conditions of engine soot and carbon black generation. A device was designed and tested for determination of electrical conduction of soot resulting from combustion of various fuels. Characteristics of soot yielded from combustion of distillate and heavy fuels (including water/fuel emulsion) were investigated. The authors offer a hypothesis concerning structure of heavy fuel aggregates and their coalescing in presence of vanadium compounds with low melting point.

Keywords: V-8 engines, actual balance, total crank gear balance, balancing method.

A method is offered of how to eliminate crank gear total unbalance in V-8 engines through change in shape and mass of crank sludge pan plugs.

Keywords: marine engines, turbocharger, air-gas channel clogging, cleaning with abrasive powder.

Conditions are considered of air-gas channel clogging in marine engine turbochargers depending on fuel type. Typical technology of washing radial turbines with water is demonstrated as basically inefficient. A method in question implies cleaning with powder of various hard dry cleaners. Cleaning-related wear of air-gas channel surfaces was found negligible compared with normal operating wear.

Keywords: two-stroke marine engine, fuel delivery system, improper settings, loss in fuel efficiency, cylinder liner wear.

A research carried out by the authors revealed some shortcomings in standard factory settings of fuel injection pumps of marine engine type 5S70MC-C powering tanker «Ligovsky Prospect». Said shortcomings affect engine fuel efficiency, result in excessive thermal load on combustion chamber parts and excessive wear of cylinder liners during partial-load operation.

Keywords: free-piston (single-piston) engine, combustion simulation, cycle frequency, stability of operation.

The research in question focuses on free-piston (single-piston) engine (gas generator) featuring no valves in cylinder liner ports. Engine operation was simulated with specially designed mathematical model. The piston separates cylinder volume into two spaces, one of which forms a combustion chamber, while another one forms a buffer chamber/ Process cycle stability is shown as dependent on relative dimensions of cylinder parts.

Keywords: gas engines, control of emissions, in-cylinder pressure, indicator diagram.

The paper offers a general NOx control intended for in-cylinder pressure measurement. The method is implemented through the use of a pressure sensor capable of continuous operation exposed to extremely high pressure and temperature, combined with means of online process signal processing. The implication is that existing signal processing systems may be just added with a new feature, which enables to avoid any further specific NOx control sensors.