| CPC F02B 19/12 (2013.01) [F02B 19/16 (2013.01)] | 28 Claims |

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1. A method of controlling the start of combustion in an internal combustion engine, comprising:
providing a prechamber comprising:
an external surface and an internal surface enclosing a prechamber volume;
one or more electrode gaps between a corresponding one or more pairs of electrodes;
one or more rotational ports communicating between the external surface and the internal surface and including a port axis that defines an index angle, a rotational offset and a penetration angle; and
one or more scavenging ports communicating between a main combustion chamber and the prechamber volume and located between the one or more rotational ports and the one or more electrode gaps;
introducing a fuel-air mixture into the prechamber volume via the one or more rotational ports to create a spiral flow in the prechamber volume;
introducing a flow from the main combustion chamber via the one or more scavenging ports to generate a radial flow in the prechamber;
wherein the combination of the spiral flow and the radial flow generates a flow substantially orthogonal to the one or more electrode gaps to achieve a consistent laminar flow in the electrode gaps;
introducing a spark across at least one of the one or more electrodes gaps to ignite the fuel-air mixture.
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