Advanced combustion free-piston engines: A comprehensive review
Abstract
A reciprocating engine without a crank-slider mechanism is called a free-piston engine. If the piston is directly connected to a linear alternator, it is called a free-piston linear alternator. Free-piston engines and free-piston linear alternators have the potential to offer solutions for future hybrid electric vehicles and stationary power generation, by enabling direct conversion of mechanical energy to electricity. They benefit from reduced friction losses compared to conventional engines and can have variable compression ratio, which enables combustion control and optimization. Their widespread application has been limited by the necessity for high-speed control strategies. However, their operating characteristics can provide high efficiency, especially when used with low temperature combustion strategies. Low temperature combustion combines the high thermal efficiency of diesel engines, with the low soot emissions of spark-ignition engines, and low NO x emissions because of low burned gas temperatures. This article provides a comprehensive review of free-piston engine technology, with a focus on advanced combustion processes and their potential for use in future powertrain systems.
- Authors:
-
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
- Publication Date:
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1475080
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- International Journal of Engine Research
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: International Journal of Engine Research Journal Volume: 21 Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 1468-0874
- Publisher:
- SAGE Publications
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Zhou, Yingcong, Sofianopoulos, Aimilios, Lawler, Benjamin, and Mamalis, Sotirios. Advanced combustion free-piston engines: A comprehensive review. United Kingdom: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.1177/1468087418800612.
Zhou, Yingcong, Sofianopoulos, Aimilios, Lawler, Benjamin, & Mamalis, Sotirios. Advanced combustion free-piston engines: A comprehensive review. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468087418800612
Zhou, Yingcong, Sofianopoulos, Aimilios, Lawler, Benjamin, and Mamalis, Sotirios. Mon .
"Advanced combustion free-piston engines: A comprehensive review". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468087418800612.
@article{osti_1475080,
title = {Advanced combustion free-piston engines: A comprehensive review},
author = {Zhou, Yingcong and Sofianopoulos, Aimilios and Lawler, Benjamin and Mamalis, Sotirios},
abstractNote = {A reciprocating engine without a crank-slider mechanism is called a free-piston engine. If the piston is directly connected to a linear alternator, it is called a free-piston linear alternator. Free-piston engines and free-piston linear alternators have the potential to offer solutions for future hybrid electric vehicles and stationary power generation, by enabling direct conversion of mechanical energy to electricity. They benefit from reduced friction losses compared to conventional engines and can have variable compression ratio, which enables combustion control and optimization. Their widespread application has been limited by the necessity for high-speed control strategies. However, their operating characteristics can provide high efficiency, especially when used with low temperature combustion strategies. Low temperature combustion combines the high thermal efficiency of diesel engines, with the low soot emissions of spark-ignition engines, and low NO x emissions because of low burned gas temperatures. This article provides a comprehensive review of free-piston engine technology, with a focus on advanced combustion processes and their potential for use in future powertrain systems.},
doi = {10.1177/1468087418800612},
journal = {International Journal of Engine Research},
number = 7,
volume = 21,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}
https://doi.org/10.1177/1468087418800612
Web of Science
Works referenced in this record:
Simulation of a Two-Stroke Free-Piston Engine for Electrical Power Generation
journal, September 2008
- Li, Qingfeng; Xiao, Jin; Huang, Zhen
- Energy & Fuels, Vol. 22, Issue 5
A review of free-piston engine history and applications
journal, October 2007
- Mikalsen, R.; Roskilly, A. P.
- Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 27, Issue 14-15
Performance simulation of a spark ignited free-piston engine generator
journal, October 2008
- Mikalsen, R.; Roskilly, A. P.
- Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 28, Issue 14-15
Parameters coupling designation of diesel free-piston linear alternator
journal, December 2011
- Mao, Jinlong; Zuo, Zhengxing; Feng, Huihua
- Applied Energy, Vol. 88, Issue 12
CFD-Based Optimization of a Diesel-fueled Free Piston Engine Prototype for Conventional and HCCI Combustion
journal, October 2008
- Bergman, Miriam; Fredriksson, Jakob; Golovitchev, Valeri I.
- SAE International Journal of Engines, Vol. 1, Issue 1
A computational study of free-piston diesel engine combustion
journal, July 2009
- Mikalsen, R.; Roskilly, A. P.
- Applied Energy, Vol. 86, Issue 7-8
Design and simulation of a two- or four-stroke free-piston engine generator for range extender applications
journal, March 2016
- Jia, Boru; Smallbone, Andrew; Zuo, Zhengxing
- Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 111
A multi-mode combustion diagram for spark assisted compression ignition
journal, June 2010
- Lavoie, George A.; Martz, J.; Wooldridge, M.
- Combustion and Flame, Vol. 157, Issue 6
Study on methane HCCI combustion process of micro free-piston power device
journal, December 2014
- Bai, Jin; Wang, Qian; He, Zhixia
- Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 73, Issue 1
Resonance of a Spring Opposed Free Piston Engine Device
journal, April 2016
- Robinson, Matthew C.; Clark, Nigel N.; Famouri, Parviz
- SAE International Journal of Engines, Vol. 9, Issue 1
Emissions from an extreme-compression, free-piston engine with diesel-style combustion
journal, February 2012
- Svrcek, Matthew N.; Edwards, Christopher F.
- International Journal of Engine Research, Vol. 13, Issue 3
Free piston engine generator: Technology review and an experimental evaluation with hydrogen fuel
journal, March 2014
- Woo, Y.; Lee, Y. J.
- International Journal of Automotive Technology, Vol. 15, Issue 2
The effects of thermal and compositional stratification on the ignition and duration of homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion
journal, February 2015
- Kodavasal, Janardhan; Lavoie, George A.; Assanis, Dennis N.
- Combustion and Flame, Vol. 162, Issue 2
Investigating the Development of Thermal Stratification from the Near-Wall Regions to the Bulk-Gas in an HCCI Engine with Planar Imaging Thermometry
journal, January 2012
- Dronniou, Nicolas; Dec, John E.
- SAE International Journal of Engines, Vol. 5, Issue 3
A study of operating parameters on the linear spark ignition engine
journal, December 2015
- Lim, Ocktaeck; Hung, Nguyen Ba; Oh, Seokyoung
- Applied Energy, Vol. 160
The Worthington-Junkers free Piston air Compressor
journal, August 1952
- Toutant, William T.
- Journal of the American Society for Naval Engineers, Vol. 64, Issue 3
Recent commercial free-piston engine developments for automotive applications
journal, January 2015
- Hanipah, M. Razali; Mikalsen, R.; Roskilly, A. P.
- Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 75
Numerical analysis of two-stroke free piston engine operating on HCCI combustion
journal, November 2011
- Xu, Shuaiqing; Wang, Yang; Zhu, Tao
- Applied Energy, Vol. 88, Issue 11
Research on the Combustion Characteristics of a Free-Piston Gasoline Engine Linear Generator during the Stable Generating Process
journal, August 2016
- Miao, Yuxi; Zuo, Zhengxing; Feng, Huihua
- Energies, Vol. 9, Issue 8
Understanding the effect of operating conditions on thermal stratification and heat release in a homogeneous charge compression ignition engine
journal, February 2017
- Lawler, Benjamin; Mamalis, Sotirios; Joshi, Satyum
- Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 112
PLIF Measurements of Thermal Stratification in an HCCI Engine under Fired Operation
journal, April 2011
- Snyder, Jordan; Dronniou, Nicolas; Dec, John E.
- SAE International Journal of Engines, Vol. 4, Issue 1
Dynamics and Control of a Free-Piston Diesel Engine
journal, September 2003
- Johansen, Tor A.; Egeland, Olav; Johannessen, Erling Aa.
- Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control, Vol. 125, Issue 3
Predictive piston motion control in a free-piston internal combustion engine
journal, May 2010
- Mikalsen, R.; Jones, E.; Roskilly, A. P.
- Applied Energy, Vol. 87, Issue 5
Combustion characteristics analysis of a free-piston engine generator coupling with dynamic and scavenging
journal, May 2016
- Yuan, Chenheng; Feng, Huihua; He, Yituan
- Energy, Vol. 102
Coupled dynamic–multidimensional modelling of free-piston engine combustion
journal, January 2009
- Mikalsen, R.; Roskilly, A. P.
- Applied Energy, Vol. 86, Issue 1
Increasing the Load Range, Load-to-Boost Ratio, and Efficiency of Low-Temperature Gasoline Combustion (LTGC) Engines
journal, February 2017
- Dec, John E.; Dernotte, Jeremie; Ji, Chunsheng
- SAE International Journal of Engines, Vol. 10, Issue 3
An experimental investigation into the starting process of free-piston engine generator
journal, November 2015
- Jia, Boru; Tian, Guohong; Feng, Huihua
- Applied Energy, Vol. 157
Research on combustion process of a free piston diesel linear generator
journal, January 2016
- Feng, Huihua; Guo, Chendong; Yuan, Chenheng
- Applied Energy, Vol. 161
Prototype testing and analysis of a novel internal combustion linear generator integrated power system
journal, April 2010
- Xu, Zhaoping; Chang, Siqin
- Applied Energy, Vol. 87, Issue 4
A fast response free-piston engine generator numerical model for control applications
journal, January 2016
- Jia, Boru; Smallbone, Andrew; Feng, Huihua
- Applied Energy, Vol. 162
Experimental Investigation of a Control Method for SI-HCCI-SI Transition in a Multi-Cylinder Gasoline Engine
journal, April 2010
- Wu, Hao; Collings, Nick; Regitz, Simon
- SAE International Journal of Engines, Vol. 3, Issue 1
Thermodynamic Simulation and Prototype Testing of a Four-Stroke Free-Piston Engine
journal, January 2014
- Lin, Jiming; Xu, Zhaoping; Chang, Siqin
- Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, Vol. 136, Issue 5
Project Omnivore: A Variable Compression Ratio ATAC 2-Stroke Engine for Ultra-Wide-Range HCCI Operation on a Variety of Fuels
journal, April 2010
- Turner, J. W. G.; Blundell, D. W.; Pearson, R. J.
- SAE International Journal of Engines, Vol. 3, Issue 1
Effect of Combustion Timing and Heat Loss on Spring-Assisted Linear Engine Translator Motion
journal, April 2016
- Robinson, Matthew C.; Clark, Nigel N.
- SAE International Journal of Engines, Vol. 9, Issue 1
The effect of diluent composition on homogeneous charge compression ignition auto-ignition and combustion duration
journal, January 2015
- Kodavasal, Janardhan; Lavoie, George A.; Assanis, Dennis N.
- Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, Vol. 35, Issue 3
Effect of closed-loop controlled resonance based mechanism to start free piston engine generator: Simulation and test results
journal, February 2016
- Jia, Boru; Zuo, Zhengxing; Feng, Huihua
- Applied Energy, Vol. 164
Investigation of the Starting Process of Free-piston Engine Generator by Mechanical Resonance
journal, January 2014
- Jia, Boru; Zuo, Zhengxing; Feng, Huihua
- Energy Procedia, Vol. 61
Progress and recent trends in homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines
journal, October 2009
- Yao, Mingfa; Zheng, Zhaolei; Liu, Haifeng
- Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, Vol. 35, Issue 5
Thermally Stratified Compression Ignition: A new advanced low temperature combustion mode with load flexibility
journal, March 2017
- Lawler, Benjamin; Splitter, Derek; Szybist, James
- Applied Energy, Vol. 189
Fundamental Analysis of Spring-Varied, Free Piston, Otto Engine Device
journal, April 2014
- Robinson, Matthew C.; Clark, Nigel
- SAE International Journal of Engines, Vol. 7, Issue 1
Multi-dimensional scavenging analysis of a free-piston linear alternator based on numerical simulation
journal, April 2011
- Mao, Jinlong; Zuo, Zhengxing; Li, Wen
- Applied Energy, Vol. 88, Issue 4
The performance characteristics of a hydrogen-fuelled free piston internal combustion engine and linear generator system
journal, March 2009
- Woo, Y.; Lee, Y.; Lee, Y.
- International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies, Vol. 4, Issue 1
The control of a free-piston engine generator. Part 2: Engine dynamics and piston motion control
journal, April 2010
- Mikalsen, R.; Roskilly, A. P.
- Applied Energy, Vol. 87, Issue 4
The control of a free-piston engine generator. Part 1: Fundamental analyses
journal, April 2010
- Mikalsen, R.; Roskilly, A. P.
- Applied Energy, Vol. 87, Issue 4
Performance characteristics analysis of a hydrogen fueled free-piston engine generator
journal, January 2016
- Yuan, Chenheng; Xu, Jing; He, Yituan
- International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 41, Issue 4
Free-piston diesel engine timing and control - toward electronic cam- and crankshaft
journal, March 2002
- Johansen, T. A.; Egeland, O.; Aa Johannessen, E.
- IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, Vol. 10, Issue 2
The design and simulation of a two-stroke free-piston compression ignition engine for electrical power generation
journal, April 2008
- Mikalsen, R.; Roskilly, A. P.
- Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 28, Issue 5-6
Development of a linear alternator-engine for hybrid electric vehicle applications
journal, January 1999
- Cawthorne, W. R.; Famouri, P.
- IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, Vol. 48, Issue 6
The effects of key parameters on the transition from SI combustion to HCCI combustion in a two-stroke free piston linear engine
journal, January 2015
- Hung, Nguyen Ba; Lim, Ocktaeck; Iida, Norimasa
- Applied Energy, Vol. 137
Oscillation Characteristic of Single Free Piston Engine Generator
journal, November 2011
- Tian, Chun Lai; Feng, Hui Hua; Zuo, Zheng Xing
- Advanced Materials Research, Vol. 383-390
Gas exchange processes of a small HCCI free piston engine – A computational study
journal, December 2017
- Sofianopoulos, Aimilios; Zhou, Yingcong; Lawler, Benjamin
- Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 127
An experimental research on the combustion and heat release characteristics of a free-piston diesel engine generator
journal, January 2017
- Yuan, Chenheng; Feng, Huihua; He, Yituan
- Fuel, Vol. 188
Development and validation of a free-piston engine generator numerical model
journal, February 2015
- Jia, Boru; Zuo, Zhengxing; Tian, Guohong
- Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 91
A study of a two-stroke free piston linear engine using numerical analysis
journal, April 2014
- Hung, Nguyen Ba; Lim, Ock Taeck
- Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, Vol. 28, Issue 4
Dynamic modeling of a SI/HCCI free-piston engine generator with electric mechanical valves
journal, February 2013
- Chiang, Chia-Jui; Yang, Jing-Long; Lan, Shao-Ya
- Applied Energy, Vol. 102