An internal combustion engine with a main combustion chamber defined by the cylinder and the piston has a separate ignition chamber located in the cylinder head which communicates with the main combustion chamber through a narrow channel. The channel terminates tangentially in the chamber and the flow of combustible mixture into the chamber generates therein a vortex which aids in ignition and combustion. The chamber includes spark-producing electrodes but does not receive additional fuel. In order to improve the ignition process, i.e., to lower the energy required for ignition, the walls of the ignition chamber are cooled to a controlled degree by changing the size of an air gap when the chamber expands or contracts, thereby changing the heat flow from the ignition chamber to the cooled portions of the engine.
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