An Investigation of Short Translator Linear Machines for Use in a Free Piston Engine

Abstract

In a free piston engine, the translator of a linear generator is coupled directly to the moving cylinder of a thermodynamic engine. For a linear machine to have a constant active area, either the translator or the stator must be oversized. The length of the translator effects its mass, which in turn effects the engine performance. This paper investigates the effect of translator length on the overall power density of a free piston engine coupled to a cylindrical permanent magnet machine.