It is named after Michel Kadenacy who obtained a French patent for an engine utilizing the effect in 1933.
In simple terms, the momentum of the exhaust gas leaving the cylinder of an internal combustion engine creates a pressure-drop in the cylinder which assists the flow of a fresh charge of air, or fuel-air mixture, into the cylinder.
The effect can be maximized by careful design of the inlet and exhaust passages.
In a two-stroke engine the pressure-drop resulting from the Kadenacy effect assists the flow of a fresh fuel-air mixture charge into the cylinder.
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