MOTORE ENDOTERMICO CON SOVRALIMENTA ZIONE

An internal combustion engine supercharged by exhaust turbochargers, with the engine being provided with an auxiliary combustion chamber, the exhaust gas of which is temporarily fed to a turbine of an exhaust gas turbocharger for improving acceleration characteristics of the internal combustion engine. The combustion air for the auxiliary combustion chamber is derived from a stream of supercharging air produced by the exhaust turbocharger. At least two exhaust turbochargers are provided with compressors thereof both conveying or feeding into a supercharging air conduit, to all cylnders of the internal combustion engine. Each of the compressors are equipped on an intake side with one check valve. During an idling or partial load, the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine is fed to only one of the two exhaust turbochargers, wherein a conveying air stream produced by this exhaust turbocharger effects an automatic closing of the check valve of the other exhaust turbocharger. For accelerating the internal combustion engine, the exhaust gas from the auxiliary combustion chamber, ignited for this purpose and operating under a full load, is fed to the other exhaust turbocharger, which is capable of fully taking over a supply of the auxiliary combustion chamber and the internal combustion engine with combustion air, wherein the conveyed air stream produced at this point by this exhaust turbocharger effects an automatic closing of the check valve in the one exhaust turbocharger. The exhaust gas stream produced by the internal combustion engine, increasing during acceleration, effects in the exhaust turbocharger fed therewith finally such an increased conveyance of air that the check valve associated with this exhaust turbocharger is opened again and the exhaust turbocharger is capable of increasingly the participating in the air supply for the internal combustion engine and auxiliary combustion chamber. After the internal combustion engine has been accelerated to a desired rotational speed, the auxiliary combustion chamber is extinguished or throttled back to a readiness state of operation.