Upon ‘harnessing the fire’ by the early pioneers, the quest for controlled combustion provided the major incentive for progress in engine technology. At first this involved primarily the problem of knock and later that of pollutant emissions. It appears that both can be solved by treating the engine cylinder not only as a source of power but also as a controllable chemical reactor. The principal concept whereby this can be accomplished involves multi-point ignition combined with charge dilution and stratification. Means for this purpose include jet ignition, product recirculation, and chemical additives. The most suitable for the realization of this concept is a direct injection two-stroke engine.
