Abstract
Free-piston engines are under investigation by a number of research groups worldwide for their potential advantages in terms of efficiency and emissions. To achieve efficient conversion of the chemical energy of fuel into the electrical energy, a novel four-stroke free-piston engine equipped with a linear electric generator, namely internal combustion linear generator integrated power system (ICLG), is proposed in this paper. Unique features of the power system are presented and their effects on operation are discussed, along with potential advantages and disadvantages compared to conventional engines. A single cylinder, gasoline and spark ignition prototype where the timing control and geometric parameters are designed with reference to a conventional four-stroke engine is fabricated. Testing results of the prototype are analyzed in detail, giving insight into the performance of the novel power system. The already obtained testing results show that the novel power system is feasible and is worthy of further study.
Keywords: free-piston engine, linear generator, gasoline, prototype