Linearly-Oscillating Miniature Internal Combustion Engine (MICE) for Portable Electric Power

Annen, Kurt; Stickler, D. B.; Woodroffe, Jim

doi:10.2514/6.2003-1113

Cited by 18 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The results of the model were used to make improvements in power extraction, however losses due to sealing inefficiency and fuel utilization remain troublesome. These observations were echoed in the development of helix-spring-returned 2-stroke engines at Aerodyne [153]. The key to the spring-return work is the removal of many traditional engine components, which are a large source of friction.…”

Section: Internal Combustion Engine Approachesmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Dunn‐Rankin

Leal

Walther

2005

Progress in Energy and Combustion Science

240

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Section: Internal Combustion Engine Approachesmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…20 and 21 that engine scale has a significant impact on engine efficiency. As mentioned earlier, although the impact of scale has been discussed in some detail [157], without a complete diagnostic evaluation of small Fig. 20.…”

Section: Internal Combustion Engine Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personal power systems

Dunn‐Rankin

Leal

Walther

2005

Progress in Energy and Combustion Science

240

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“…Theoretical analyses based on system-level thermodynamic considerations [3,4] and combustion quenching [5] indicate that the minimum size of a heat engine is on the order of 1 mm 3 . Other studies that include the effects of friction and leakage in reciprocating engines arrive at similar conclusions [6]. Because 1 mm [3] is not much smaller than the devices that some microengine programs [7,8] are attempting to construct and is only about a factor of 10 smaller than the smallest hobby engines available today, an investigation of how the performance of small engines changes as one approaches this theoretical limit would be useful.…”

mentioning

confidence: 85%

“…The x and y axes are located at the center of rotation of the cradle and the z axis extends along the cradle's axis of rotation. A force balance on the cradle leads to the following expression for the torque e exerted by the engine on the cradle: e A B r AB F lc (6) A and B are, respectively, the parasitic torques associated with the cradle bearing and the load cell attachment points. The moment arm is represented by r AB , which extends from the cradle's center of rotation A to the load cell attachment point B.…”

Section: Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Dynamometer for Measuring Small Internal-Combustion Engine Performance

Menon

Moulton

Cadou

2007

Journal of Propulsion and Power

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Small hobby engines with masses less than 1 kg are attractive for use in low-cost unmanned air vehicles, because they are mass-produced and inexpensive. However, very little information about their performance is available in the scientific literature. This paper describes the development of a dynamometer system suitable for measuring the power output and efficiency of these small engines and presents detailed performance measurements for a particular engine with a mass of 150 gm that could be suitable for powering a low-cost unmanned air vehicle. When the mixture setting is adjusted according to the manufacturer's instructions, the peak power of this engine is 112 W at 9450 rpm with a brake specific fuel consumption of 3:0 kg=kWh. The performance can be improved to 159 W at 12,000 rpm and brake specific fuel consumption of approximately 2:1 kg=kWh by controlling the mixture.Nomenclature F = force f a , f m = atmospheric factor and engine factor I = moment of inertia k lc = stiffness of the load cell L=D = lift/drag ratio of the vehicle m = mass of the additional weight added to the engine cradle _ m = mass flow rate N nat = engine speed associated with the natural frequency of the cradle-load cell system P = measured output power P r = corrected power under standard reference conditions p, p r = test pressure and standard reference pressure p sr , p s = test saturated water vapor pressure and standard reference saturated water vapor pressure Q r = heating value q = fuel mass per cycle per liter of air q c = corrected specific fuel delivery R = length of the moment arm r = distance between added mass and cradle axis of rotation r r = boost pressure ratio T r , T = test ambient air temperature and standard reference ambient air temperature c = atmospheric correction factor = overall damping coefficient for cradle bearings = measured engine torque max = maximum deflection of the load cell = efficiency e = angle of cradle associated with steady state operation = density of air, mixture, methanol, nitromethane, and castor oil r , = test relative humidity and standard reference relative humidity = volume fraction of methanol, nitromethane, and castor oil in the fuel f = fuel mass fraction at takeoff ! = engine speed ! n = natural frequency of the system Subscripts a = air CH 3 OH = methanol CH 3 NO 2 = nitromethane c = cradle e = engine f = fuel lc = load cell o = overall oil = castor oil p = propulsive th = thermal

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“…Many starting problems arise with the free-piston linear generators. A number of starting methods using an electric motor have been implemented [17,18] and a spring-mass system for starting the engine was proposed in [19]. A two-stroke spark-ignited free-piston linear generator engine prototype was designed and built for research purposes at West Virginia University (WVU).…”

Section: Hydrogen-di Cylinder Headmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Motoring Voltage on Compression Ratio of a Free-Piston Linear Generator Engine

A.¹,

Ibrahim²,

Aziz³

et al. 2015

J. Mech. Eng. Sci.

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The need for alternative power sources is crucial because of the increase in global energy demand and stringent emission regulations. The free-piston linear generator engine is one of the main alternatives thanks to its high efficiency, wide operating range and low emissions. However, low compression pressure which produces low power generation is an obstacle to its development. In order to increase compression pressure, further development of the motoring process is required. The study investigated the effect of motoring voltage in compression pressure and compression ratio. Motoring voltages varied from 36 V to 84 V. Higher motoring voltage increased piston speed up to 2 m/s which reduced the air leakage and thus produced a sharper p-V profile and higher compression pressure. An inverse relationship between the compression ratio and compression pressure during motoring was also observed.

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Linearly-Oscillating Miniature Internal Combustion Engine (MICE) for Portable Electric Power

Cited by 18 publications

References 2 publications

Personal power systems

Personal power systems

Development of a Dynamometer for Measuring Small Internal-Combustion Engine Performance

Effect of Motoring Voltage on Compression Ratio of a Free-Piston Linear Generator Engine

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