Toyota new engine: Free Piston Engine Linear Generator.

All of us know about combustion engine. Our vehicles are run by these engines. The combustion of fuel in combustion chamber produces force by expanding high pressure and high temperature gases inside. Force is directly passed on some of engine components. Usually output is some form of rotation. In an automobile engine force is exerted on piston and translation of piston is converted into rotation of crankshaft by slider-crank mechanism.

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There are very advancement in combustion engines but fundamental are not changed.

Toyota have made a engine with no crankshaft which produces 3-phase electricity. Engine is named as Free Piston Engine Linear Generator. The 'free' means no crankshaft connected to piston.

This engine is a combination of 2 simple processes combustion and electromagnetic induction. Some of the configuration of the engine same as combustion engine. Cycle is also about same as combustion engine. There are perpetual magnets connected with piston. During power stroke after cycle, piston pushes the perpetual magnet through a curl around the barrel load, which produces electricity by electromagnetic induction.

This idea is very simple so toyota is so exited. Developer at Toyota stated that it has the thermal efficiency of 42% which is a decent improvement as modern automobile combustion engine has the efficiency of around 25-30 %. This engine can be run on sparkless diesel cycle or standard gasoline.

There is one question arise that how piston return to it's position as there is no crankshaft. Answer is simple, a gas spring is placed at the end of the chamber which provides the to compress the gases once again.

See the various parts of the engine in the block diagram.

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Leave comments what you think about this engine.

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