The authors offer the option of a power plant for ground transportation based on a linear generator with a free piston stroke in the variant of a two-stroke opposed diesel engine and electric transmission. In this work, the authors give a justification and multivariate analysis of the areas of application of various engines and show that for specific operating conditions of military equipment, the proposed approach is mostly suitable. The prospect of a free-piston linear generator in the variant of a two-stroke opposed diesel engine is due to many reasons, primarily the versatility and freedom of layout. The versatility of a linear generator with a free piston is explained by the absence of a crankshaft, which eliminates the large losses due to the movement of massive eccentric parts, the overall reduction in the number of moving parts and the associated reduction in losses for pumping lubricants. Failure from the crankshaft gives the engine an additional degree of freedom in the mutual arrangement of the elements of the propulsion system. Combustion can be arranged in a two-stroke or four-stroke cycle. However, a four-stroke engine requires much greater intermediate energy storage, inertia of rotation of the crankshaft, in order to advance the piston through four strokes. In the absence of a crankshaft, a gas spring would have to actuate the piston through the inlet, compression, and exhaust pipes. That is why the authors propose focusing the attention on the two-stroke cycle. In traditional engine building, there are examples of two-stroke opposed diesel engines with the oncoming movement of two pistons in one cylinder, and for a correct assessment of a promising engine, it is necessary to study in detail the experience gained over the years of operation.
Volume 12 | Issue 2
Pages: 1853-1858
DOI: 10.5373/JARDCS/V12I2/S20201229