Sounds like a promising advance - However I have no idea if this team is well respected and credible.

The use of a non-supercharged engine, of only 15:1 CR seems like it might favor this pre-heat scheme.

Good idea. However, diesel under low load does not cause too much smoke nor NOx anyway. It's the highload phase that creates high NOx (high combustion temp) and high smoke (lower air/fuel ratio). For that, they will need to address how effective this scheme will be under high load condition. See on the link below for another similar approach that can give high thermal efficiency and low emission even under high load: (dual gasoline/diesel injection)

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/08/reitz-20090803.html

Although these piezo injector units with very fast processing are starting to appear, They are infant.
I see that these HF tweeters can change the effective cetane, octane ? any (I'm guessing.) While the current HF injectors are comparable to mutltifire High pressure mechanical injectors,
Experience will tell us the practical limitations.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/10/cleanfuel-20091008.html
"The new piezo injectors with multiple firing can also do their bit to suppress the knock "while retaining the evaporateive cooling benefit." Think the high temp super lean mixes,with modern sensors and ECU's. It makes sense that liquid phase propane is capable of running as a compression engine requiring no spark. Slightly off the track here but as you know many

To clarify what I'm suggesting here is that with the newest high power 32 Bit ECU's and sensors controlling valve timing/ compression ratio/ fuel stratification etc any piston (others?) ICE engine can start to behave like like any? of the whole swag of designs that we see coming along.
These advances in enabling technology seem to be now rolling out globally on near weekly basis.

These advances are already enabling current engine families to "effectively behave like just about any *Engine type* or *Fuel* that we are familiar with."

Also many exotics that have never seen service or proved.

Effectively being the operating word.
IT isn't, but that may no longer stop it from behaving as if it were.

Roger,

I accept your observations about combustion prospects, but I am wondering whether 'reforming' EGR outside e th cylinder really makes any sense in high load and in turbo/supercharging environments. In both cases the EGR will be further heated by the compression of the intake gases, perhaps creating detonation in the intake manifold, which is not designed to handle such pressures.

I would think that this speaks better to the approach of staged injection inside the cylinder but outside the classic compression point. That is increasingly becoming technically possible with piezo-electric injectors under better computer control.

Is this "advance" nothing more than classic PCCI except done in the intake manifold with EGR gases? I would think that if PCCI is what is desired, it would be safer to do inside the cylinder, gaining cooling, but if PCCI is necessary pre-cylinder mixing, it would be better post intercooler, but before mixture with EGR?

What are your thoughts?

Yes, for higher loads, above the 60% reformed gaseous fuel mass, detonation risk will be the limitation unless intercooler is used to cool the intake air mass. Then, the REGR should be introduced post intercooler to reduce the risk of in-manifold detonation. Hot EGR is what making this fuel reformation possible. Reformation is desirable for diesel fuel due to the fact that heavier-chain hydrocarbon like diesel fuel does not vaporize as readily as gasoline, hence REGR will allow better fuel-air homogeniety than with staged injection strategy.

In-cylinder staged fuel injection is limited by the low vaporization ability of diesel fuel, thus limits engine operational rpm. REGR forms a faster-burning mixture than conventional diesel combustion that may allow diesel operation...ugh...I mean REGR PCCI operation using diesel fuel at higher engine speed, hence increase engine power output.