Free-Piston Engine

Basics

• A Piston Engine where the engine is "free" within the cylinder; it is not connected to a Crankshaft
• Can be used as Gas Generators and/or Linear Generators
• If the coils of the linear generator are also used as a Linear Motor this can be used to control the position / motion of the piston thus allowing for software tunable, infinitely variable compression ratios etc
• Also Part Reduction occurs etc
• Main issue is in the difficulty in control, as well as Noise and Vibration / Noise, Vibration, and Harshness

Internal Links

• Linear Generator
• Gas Generator

External Links

• http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/21442/page2/
• http://nextbigfuture.com/2008/09/free-piston-engine-could-be-twice-as.html
• http://nextbigfuture.com/2008/09/free-piston-engine-could-be-twice-as.html

Sandia National Laboratory led by Sandia researcher Peter Van Blarigan that has been testing physical components of free-piston engines which could be 50% efficient. This is about twice as good as current combustion engines and about as efficient as fuel cells. Fuel cells are too expensive. He is assembling a complete free-piston engine prototype, a project that he expects to complete within a year.