As manufacturers of air-cooled diesel engines, the company of Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz (KHD) undertook the rather rapid development of a multifuel engine on the basis of a proved mass-produced, air-cooled unit.
Being equal in output, this new engine had to run on all fuels and fuel mixtures obtainable at gasoline stations without any modifications being necessary. Preferably, it had to be produced by means of the same manufacturing facilities as the series engine and features a maximum number of identical parts. The solution to the problem involves supplementing the series engine with a high-tension ignition system employing a special spark plug in the direct vicinity of the injection nozzle. This spark plug can be subsequently installed following the rework of standard parts.
By using the same basic setting of injection and ignition for all fuels, it is possible to attain absolutely knock-free combustion, with a gentle compression curve and a minimum of cyclic pressure variations.
