Proceedings Seminar Computational Mechanics & Numerical Analysis, June 5 th 2004 : 57-62

SIMULATION INCLUDING INTAKE AND EXHAUST PORT EFFECTS OF TWO -

STROKE FREE PISTON LINEAR GENERATOR ENGINE MOTION

S. Fonna, N. A. N. Mohamed, and A. K. Ariffin

Computational Mechanic Research Group
Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Bangi, 43600 Selangor, Malaysia
e-mail: enikkei@eng.ukm.my
kamal@eng.ukm.my

Abstract
The free piston linear generator is the machine that generates electrical energy by coupling a free
piston engine to a linear alternator into a single unit. This paper presents the simulation of two-
stroke free piston linear generator engine motion consist combustion and air-kickback chambers.
Dynamic and gas-dynamic model for slider-piston motion are presented. The intake and exhaust
port are also considered to the simulation. By using chosen variables, the motion of two-stroke
free piston linear generator engine is successfully simulated. It shows that the velocity profile of
slider-piston motion is far from sinusoidal.

Keywords: Free piston engine; Two-stroke engine; Intake; Exhaust; Dynamic

I. INTRODUCTION cushion chamber has been developed in order to

The free piston linear generator is the
machine that generates electrical energy by
coupling a free piston engine to a linear
alternator. The crankshaft that present on the
conventional engine has been eliminated.
This has benefit in efficiency, weight
reduction, robustness, variable compression
operation and multi- fuel possibilities [1].
Then, free piston linear generator engines
offer the potential to provide power without
the conversion of linear to rotary motion [2].
The most common model that has been
developed on free piston linear generator
system is both of chambers are combustion
chamber [2-5]. Another models of free
piston linear generator that have been
developed are the models tha t replace a
combustion chamber with other devices. A
free piston linear generator that using a
spring as opposed combustion chamber has
been developed [6]. In other hand, an air
replace a combustion chamber in common free
piston linear generator engine [7].
This paper focus on free piston linear generator
that one combustion chamber is replaced with air
kickback chamber. The velocity and
displacement profiles of slider-piston motion
with respect to time and ve locity profile with
respect to displacement are investigated for the
modeled engine system.
II. MODELED ENGINE
The description of the modeled engine with
intake and exhaust port at cylindrical-surface of
cylinder block in this study is showed in figure
1. The models are two-stroke spark ignition
engine. The free piston linear generator engine
models consist of five main parts, i.e.
combustion chamber, scavenging chamber,
kickback chamber, generator, and slider-piston.
The term of slider-piston is used to describes

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combustion piston, kickback piston,
connecting rod, and permanent magnet. The
rod connects the two oppositely placed
pistons and also acts as a prime mover for
linear generator. The permanent magnet is
placed at certain position of the rod. The two
opposed pistons have different diameter.
Kickback piston diameter is larger than
combustion piston diameter to ensure the
generated pressure in kickback chamber
satisfy to pushback slider-piston.
Combustion chamber Scavenging chamb er
Transfer duct
Exhaust port
Generator
housing
Figure 1. Free piston linear generator with
intake and exhaust port at cylindrical
-surface of cylinder block
When the slider-piston moves linearly, it
will cause a disturbance of the field that
produced by permanent magnet. Thus, an
electromagnetic force (EMF) will be induced
in the coil of linear alternator. This is the
principle of free piston linear generator that
is producing electricity directly from the
linear motion of the pistons.
III. THE DYNAMIC MODEL
The salient feature of free piston linear
generator engine is a mechanically
unconstrained piston. Thus, the system
obeys Newton’s second law.
d2x
∑F ix =m
dt 2
i
A1
where Fix is the acting forces on slider-piston in
x direction, m is slider-piston mass, x is
instantaneous slider-piston position, and t is
time. The left hand side of equation (1)
represents the summation of the forces that act in
the plane of motion, the right hand side of
d2x
equation (1), i.e. , is the acceleration of
dt 2
slider-piston, and x represents the displacement
of slider-piston.
In order to ana lyze the slider dynamics, the
forces acting on the free piston are determined.
Kickback chamber
These forces are the combustion cylinder
pressure, the scavenging pressure, the air
kickback cylinder pressure, the piston ring-wall
friction, and electromagnetic force. The forces
balance on free piston is given by equation (2)
for after combustion condition and equation (3)
for after air kickback condition.
Slider
Pc Ac − Pk Ak − Ps As − F f
d 2x
− Fe = m 2 (2)
dt
Pk Ak − Pc Ac + Ps As − F f
d 2x
− Fe = m (3)
dt 2
where Pc is instantaneous combustion chamber
pressure, Pk is instantaneous air-kickback
chamber pressure, Ps is instantaneous
scavenging chamber pressure, Ac is combustion
piston area, Ak is air-kickback piston area, As is
combustion piston back area, Ff is friction force,
and Fe is electromagnetic force.
Ac
m
Ps
Pc Pk
x As
Ak
(1) Figure 2. Slider-piston free-body diagram
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Considering simplifying the problem, the diagram, the pressure will increase follow 1-2
friction force and electromagnetic force are curve
neglected in this simulation since these
forces are relatively small. Figure 2 is given
to illustrate a force balance on free piston for L L
simplified condition.
b
b b
a L L L L c
IV. THE GAS-DYNAMIC MODEL L L L
x x
The compression and expansion of each Pc 3
Ps Pk 2
cylinder are modeled adiabatically and 2

internally reversible. The process in 2

combustion chamber is represented by Otto
cycle, while in kickback chamber and
scavenging chamber by ideal gas adiabatic
process (figure 3). The dimensions of
modeled engine, i.e. intake and exhaust port
at cylindrical-surface of cylinder block, are
also described in figure 3. The effects of
intake and exhaust port length to the
generated pressure in each chamber are
considered in the analysis.
For the initial analysis, the slider is
considered to move from the left
(combustion chamber top death center-TDC)
to the right in positive x direction i.e.
expansion process. Then, combustion
chamber is chosen as reference. At these
conditions, the pressure in combustion
chamber is Pc3 as the result of instantaneous
heat addition in combustion process, while
the pressure in kickback chamber and
scavenging chamber are free-air pressure
(Pk1 and Ps1 respectively). When the slider is
moving to the right, the combustion pressure
will follows 3-4 curve in PcVc diagram and
at point 4 the exhaust port starts to open,
thus the pressure suddenly drop to Pc1 cause
of instantaneous heat rejection. The
scavenging pressure will increase along 1-2
curve in PsVs diagram and the pressure drop
to Ps1 from point 2 cause of the intake port
start to open. While the kickback pressure is
remain at Pk1 along L4 cause of the port is
still open and start from point 1 in PkVk
4
1 1
1
Vc Vs Vk
Figure 3. The dimension of engine and pressure
volume diagrams for each
chambers modeled for the simulation of model 1
Considering the slider move from right to left
after expansion stroke i.e. compression stroke,
the combustion pressure is Pc1 along L3 and the
pressure increase as 1-2 curve in PcVc diagram
starting from point 1. The kickback pressure will
take the same path as expansion stroke; while
the scavenging pressure is remain at Ps1 along
compression stroke.
In order to develop the pressure equations of
each chamber, the processes are assumed to
obey a polytropic process. The relationship
between the pressure and the volume for
polytropic process is described by:
PV n = const (4)
The interdependence between the three
thermodynamic properties – pressure (P),
volume (V), and temperature (T) – is given by
the state equation. State equations for various
materials are determined either experimentally
or theoretically. For ideal gases, the state
equation is given by:
PV = mRT (5)

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where P is the gas pressure, V is the gas
volume, m is the gas mass, R is the gas
constant, and T is the absolute temperature.
This is also known as the law of ideal gases.
This law was initially established through
experiments and subsequently it was also
derived theoretically
V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The equations describe the pressures of each
chambers are derived from equation (4)
and/or equation (5). Equations (6-7)
respectively represent the force balance
equations for after combustion condition or
expansion process and for compression
process in modeled engine.
In order to generate free piston simulation, some
engine specifications have been chosen. These
specifications are given in table 1 and including
the geometry of modeled engines.
By using the force balance equations, the
simulations of slider-piston motion are derived.
The slider-piston velocity profile of modeled
engine is shown in figure 4. These velocity
profiles are far from sinusoidal not like
conventional engine that the velocity profiles
may follow sinusoidal. It is also seen that high
acceleration, the velocity rapidly increase to ~10
m/s in ~4 millisecond, are involved (due to high
combustion force and low moving mass). Hence,
problems with high stresses, fatigue and
mechanical imbalances will arise.

  L +a  Table 1. Simulated engine specifications

 n Qin  1  (n − 1)  n
  L1 + a   a   a 
 atm
P   +    Ac
  a  ( L1 + a ) Ac  a + x  Parameter Value
  Stroke (L) 0.07 m
 L +c
n
 c 
n Effective combustion 0.04 m
− Patm  2    Ak stroke (L1 )
 c   L2 + L4 + c − x  Effective kickback stroke 0.055 m
n
 (b3 ) L5 + (b1 ) 2L 
2 2
(L2 )
− Patm   As
 (b3 ) L5 + (b1 ) (2 L − x ) 
2 2 Exhaust length (L3 ) 0.03
Intake length (L4 ) 0.015 m
d2x
− F f − Fe = m 2 (6) Back-scavenging length 0.05 m
dt
(L5 )
Specific heat ratio (n) 1.4
n Mass of slider (m) 4.5898
 
n
L +c c
Patm  2    A kg
 c   2
L + L 4 +c− x  k Free air pressure (P1 ) 100 kPa
L +a  a  Combustion bore diameter 0.076 m
n n

− Patm  1    Ac (b1 )
 a   a+x
Kickback bore diameter 0.11 m
d 2x
+ Patm As − F f − Fe = m (7) (b2 )
dt 2 Back-scavenging diameter 0.114 m
(b3 )
where Patm is atmospheric pressure, rc is
Heat addition (Qin ) 300 J
compression ratio for combustion chamber,
rk is kickback chamber compression ratio,
Qin is heat addition to combustion chamber
during combustion process, and n is specific
heat ratio.

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15000 15000

10000 10000

5000
5000

v (m/s)
v (m/s)

0
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 0.002 0.004 0.006 0.008 0.01 0.012 0.014 0.016 0.018
-5000
-5000

-10000
-10000
-15000
-15000
position (mm)
time (s)

Figure 6. Piston velocity versus piston position

Figure 4. Piston velocity versus stroke time

The relationship between the slider-piston

Figure 5 plots the slider-piston position velocity and the slider-piston position for
versus stroke time for modeled engine. It modeled engine is illustrated in figure 6. It gives
reveals that, the modeled engine give a clear description about slider-piston velocity
approximately ~70mm stroke length. It profile along stroke length.
needs around 16 millisecond to complete
one cycle, i.e. slider-piston translates from
combustion chamber to kickback chamber VI. CONCLUSIONS
and go back to combustion chamber. From
figure 4 and 5, these show that on end of In this paper, dynamic and gas-dynamic model
cycle (slider-piston at zero position or TDC) of free piston linear generator engine have been
the slider-piston still has high velocity. presented. The velocity and displacement
Then, the slider-piston would continue profiles of slider-piston motion with respect to
moving to combustion chamber direction time and velocity profile with respect to
and at last will hit cylinder head. This displacement are investigated for different
happen because on this simulation the modeled engines. By using chosen variables, the
combustion process on the end of cycle is motion of two-stroke free piston linear generator
not included on simulation. The simulation engine is successfully simulated. It shows that
of combustion process needs another the velocity profile of slider-piston motion is far
analytical model. By including the from sinusoidal.
combustion process, it optimistically would
stop the slider-piston, the velocity is zero on
TDC, and push back the slider–piston to ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
kickback chamber.
80 The project was sponsored by Malaysian
70
Ministry of Science, Technology, and
position (mm)

60

50 Environment under project IRPA 03-02-02-0056

40 PR0025/04-03
30

20

10 REFERENCES
0
0 0.002 0.004 0.006 0.008 0.01 0.012 0.014 0.016 0.018

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Figure 5. Piston position versus stroke time Generator: an Overview, Proceeding of
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