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In this study, we report experimental investigations on the air/fuel distribution in the combustion chamber of a spark ignition engine during the first stage of combustion, and prior to ignition. Several modifications were made to a single cylinder to give optical access to the combustion chamber via a glass cylinder. These modifications included the addition of electro-magnetic valves, with a strategic placement for internal exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), and a quartz glass cylinder for optical access. With the placement and timing of the electro-magnetic valves and exhaust gas recirculation rates up to 40 % mass, the engine's combustion process was greatly improved. These improvements included a reduction of fuel consumption by 8 % and a reduction in NOx emissions of 90 %. The flow of air/fuel mixture into the combustion chamber was visualized by Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) and captured as 8-bit gray scale images.