US Patent 10060344 Spark-ignited internal combustion engine modified for multi-fuel operation

A spark-ignited (SI) internal combustion (IC) engine designed to operate on high octane fuels, such as gasoline, is reconfigured to operate on low octane fuels including logistically preferred distillate fuels, such as diesel or JP-8. Design modifications involve coupling a fuel reformer module to the internal combustion engine. Auxiliary components include a system control module, a heat exchange module, a bypass valve to facilitate start-up, and/or a throttle body to control a reformate-oxidizer mixture fed to the engine. Small portable generators having 0.3-3.0 kWe power output are disclosed based upon the modified SI-IC engine design.