See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/235932465

Linear Engine Coupled Linear Generator Starting For Hybrid Electric Vehicle
Applications

Conference Paper · July 2006

CITATIONS READS

3 1,234

4 authors, including:

Ahmad Eid
Aswan University
105 PUBLICATIONS   954 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

linear generator View project

Technical SCIENCE ⚙ View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Ahmad Eid on 28 November 2014.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Linear Engine Coupled Linear Generator Starting
For Hybrid Electric Vehicle Applications

Ahmad M. Eid1, S. K. Kwon2, Hyun Woo Lee3, and Mutsuo Nakaoka4

Abstract – The paper provides a novel method to start the linear engine coupled linear generator
from dead stop to its final steady state operation. This method mainly depends to use the linear
generator mounted on the shaft of the linear engine to provide the required thrust force to move
and oscillate the linear engine from bottom to top dead centers. It is a cost effective approach to
start the internal linear combustion engine using its coupled tubular permanent magnet linear
generator proposed here. This linear generator can operate in this case in motoring mode,
providing the required thrust force by feeding this linear generator phases with currents by using a
voltage source three phase PWM inverter controlled by position sensing based feedback scheme.
In order to provide the desired thrust force with specific value and direction, a position feedback is
required to control the free piston engine motion through adjusting the three phase inverter
switches using PWM control strategy.

Keywords: linear generator, linear engine, induced voltage, cogging force, PWM inverter.

1. Introduction magnet (PM) generator. Free Piston Engine (FPE) can be

With great advances of permanent magnet materials and
power electronics, the permanent magnet linear machines
have been employed increasingly in power and energy
applications ranging from automotive drives,
manufacturing plants, and office automation to material
processing and generation systems [1].
Of these, for linear generators that are driven by internal
combustion engine, the dual piston configuration has been
suggested to be superior as it is more suitable for their high-
speed applications and avoids complexity on control [2-3].
In order to initiate the combustion process, an external
force is needed to move the translator assembly, to
compress fuel in the combustion chamber and ignite the
operation of the free piston engine.
The existence of the cogging force poses a problem for
starting as it opposes the movement of the translator
assembly wherever it travels from one side to the other.
This cogging force results from the interaction between the
iron-structure stator teeth and the permanent magnet array
mounted on the translator part of the linear permanent
1 Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Kyungnam University, Korea.
(ahmadeid@ieee.org)
2 Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Kyungnam University, Korea.
(soonkurl@kyungnam.ac.kr)
3 Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Kyungnam University, Korea.
(lhwoo@mail.kyungnam.ac.kr)
4 Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Kyungnam University, Korea.
(nakaoka@pe-news1.eee.yamaguchi-u.ac.jp)
effectively used in hybrid electric vehicles for its compact
volume, lower weight, higher efficiency than crankshaft
rotating system counterpart [4]. The FPE consists of an
internal Linear Combustion Engine (LCE) as a prime mover,
which is coupled to a linear generator. The FPE has two
distinguished modes of operation:
Starting mode: a period of applying an external force to
compress the gas in the chambers, so ignite the combustion.
This mode takes only a few cycles of operations.
Steady state: the engine becomes the prime mover for the
electric machine and generating electrical power.
One of the economic ways is to start the internal LCE
using its coupled PM linear generator. The PM linear
generator operates in this case in motoring mode, providing
the required thrust force by feeding the linear generator
phases with currents by using a controlled PWM inverter.
In order to provide the desired thrust force with specific
value and direction, a position feedback is required.
In this paper, the design part of the PM linear generator,
the control circuit and feedback scheme are presented and
evaluated. According to the received position of the
translator assembly, an appropriate three phase currents are
fed to the linear generator windings, which provide thrust
force to move the FPE in the starting stage of operation.
2. Free Piston Engine System Description
The FPE consists of an internal LCE coupled with a PM
linear generator as shown in Fig. 1. The internal LCE has Piston Chamber Shaft Translator back-iron Intake port
two horizontally opposed pistons mounted on a common
connecting rod (translator) that is allowed to oscillate
between the two end-mounted cylinders. The two pistons
will move simultaneously to compress or expand the fuel.
The combustion occurs alternately in each cylinder, forcing
the piston assembly back and forth in an alternating fashion.
As the piston assembly moves in either direction, one Permanent
Exhaust port magnet Tooth Coil Back-iron Exhaust port
cylinder will undergo the expansion process while the other
undergoes compression, thus functioning as a non-linear Fig. 1 Free piston engine coupled three-phase PM linear
spring. The resonant frequency can then be found by setting generator.
the sum of the forces acting on the pistons due to the in-
cylinder pressures and the resultant electromagnetic force Table I: Specification of the PM linear generator.
of the alternator equal to the mass of the piston assembly Item Value Unit
times the acceleration of the assembly. The second part of Stator length 144 mm
the FPE is the designed tubular permanent magnet (TPM) Slot pitch 23 mm
linear generator, mounted on piston rod.
Slot depth 29 mm
The linear machine has various topologies and
Tooth width 6 mm
configurations. The TPM topologies are particularly more
attractive since they have a high thrust force density and a Stator inner radius 29 mm
high efficiency, no end windings and zero net attractive Stator outer radius 62 mm
force between stator and armature [5-7]. There are various Coil fill factor 0.75 --
tubular motor topologies [8-9], in which the armature may Wire diameter 6.08 mm
be either air-cored or iron-cored structures. Coil turns 60 --
The force density for slotted TPM topology is Back-iron thickness 4 mm
significantly higher than for slotless iron-cored. The slotted
Air gap length 1 mm
TPM linear generator is the subject of this paper. In current
Magnet length 30 mm
design the TPM linear generator with PM magnetized in the
PM thickness 4 mm
radial direction is considered. The generator is axi-
symmetric around z-axis as shown in Fig. 1, thus the PM retentivity, Br 1.1 T
generated cogging force is in the z-direction (motion) only, PM coercivity, Hc 821.24 kA/m
and the other radial forces cancel out. The main dimensions Pole pitch 34.5 mm
and the relevant specifications for the studied TPM linear Backiron thickness 14 mm
generator are listed in Table I. Shaft radius 10 mm
The stator of the TPM linear generator consists of six Stroke length 69 mm
slots for the ring coil placement. Thus, forming three-phase
windings, each phase consists of two coils connected in
The induced AC voltages are maximized and, at the same
series. The core of the stator consists from a laminated
time, the undesired cogging force is kept as low as possible.
silicon steel material to reduce the eddy current losses. The
This cogging force is developed from the magnetic
moving part (translator) is composed of a set of PMs,
attraction between the PMs mounted on the translator and
translator back iron, which is of the same material as stator
the stator teeth. The ripples of the cogging force produce
core, to provide a path for the magnetic flux and a non-
both vibrations and noise. Thus, the cogging force should
magnetic shaft, which is the same rod of the internal LCE.
be minimized for a good design. A routine is chosen using
The PMs used are a rare-earth type of Nd-Fe-B material,
Maxwell software to maximize the objective function, Γ.
which has high-energy product and magnetized in the radial
This objective function is proprtional to the efficiency of
direction.
the PM linear generator and at the same time, it is inversely
proportional to the total volume of the generator. Hence the
objective function can be represented by:
3. TPM Linear Generator Optimization
Gv L
The three-phase TPM linear generator dimensions can be Γ = C e (efficiency ) + (1 − C e ) (1)
Gv
optimized using Finite Element Method (FEM).
where, GvL is the maximum volume limit for the design, Gv
is the current volume in the routing and Ce is a factor and Table II: TPM linear generator performance parameters.
chosen on the basis of priority of the efficiency or the Item Value Unit
generator volume. Its value is normally greater than 0.5. rms induced voltages 80, 78,80 V
The considered power losses in the design are the copper Rated current 22 A
and core losses in the PM linear generator. The core losses
Maximum cogging force 150 N
are calculated based on the data sheets of the used steel
Stator weight 9.56 kg
lamination. Using this optimization routine, the induced AC
voltages for a complete cycle and the cogging force are Translator weight 4.38 kg
shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, respectively. Total generator weight 13.92 kg
The induced voltages go to zero at both ends of the stroke Phase resistance 0.093 Ω
length due to zero velocity values at these positions. The Phase inductance 4.7 mH
final optimization parameters of the linear generator are Output power 4.85 kW
listed in Table II. Core loss 16 W
The magnetic (core) loss is calculated on the basis of the Resistive loss 135 W
manufacturer data sheet of the core material (Silicon Steel,
Total volume 1.967 L
50H470). The data sheet provides core loss per kilogram
Power/Weight ratio 348 W/kg
with maximum flux density at different frequencies. The
flux density in all iron parts are analyzed using FFT and at
each harmonic, the corresponding core loss is evaluated,
The governing equation of the electromagnetic field
and hence the total core loss is found.
inside the three-phase TPM linear generator can be
expressed by using the magnetic vector potential, A as [10]:
200
150 Phase_C
100 ∇ × [ν (∇ × A)]= J o + J m (2)
V o l ta g e ( V )

50
0 where, Jo is the exciting current density of the coil, Jm is the
-50 0 5 10 15 20
equivalent magnetization current density of the PM and can
-100 be written as:
-150
Phase_A Phase_B
-200
J m = ∇ × (νµ 0 M ) (3)
Tim e ( m s e c )

Fig. 2 Linear generator induced voltages.

where, ν is the magnetic reluctivity, µ0 is the free space
permeability, and M is the magnetization vector intensity of
150 the PM. Using the FEM, the cogging force densities are
calculated using Maxwell Stress Method as [11]:
100
Force (N)

50
1 1
0
fn =
2µ 0
(B 2
n )
− B t2 , ft =
µo
B n Bt (4)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
-50

-100
where, Bn is the normal magnetic flux density to the
integral surface, Bt is the tangential magnetic flux density to
-150 the integral surface.
Translator position (mm) The generated electromotive force (emf) at the stator coils
Fig. 3 Cogging force along stroke length. terminals is calculated from Faraday’s law of magnetic
induction as:

d φ dz
4. TPM Linear Generator Mathematical Modeling emf = − N (5)
dz dt
4.1 FEM Governing Equations
where, N is the number of turns per coil, φ is the flux
ν e = n pν = 2τ f e (12)
passing in each turn in time t, z is the position of the
translator.
where, v the linear velocity of the mover; τ the pole
4.2 d/q Modeling of TPM Linear Generator pitch; ve the electric linear velocity; and Fe the electric
frequency. The developed electromagnetic power is given
The three-phase TPM linear machine adopted here has by:
long (secondary) translator on which the PMs are mounted
and the fixed short (primary) stator containing the armature [
Pe = Fe v e = 1.5ω e n p λ d i q + ( Ld − Lq )i d i q ] (13)
core windings. The electromagnetic thrust force Fe is
produced by the interaction between secondary Nd-Fe-B
Hence, the electromagnetic force is given as
magnet field and magnetic field of AC windings included in
the primary and driven by a current-controlled voltage
3π
source three-phase PWM inverter. The machine model of a
PM linear motor can be described on the basis of
Fe =
2τ
[
n p λ d i q + ( Ld − Lq )i d i q ] (14)

synchronous rotating reference frame as follows [12]:

and the mover dynamic equation is expressed by
v q = R i q + pλ q + ω e λ d (6)

v d = R i d + pλ d − ω e λ q (7)
Fe = M t pv + Dv + Fd (15)

where, Mt is the total mass of the moving element system;

where,
D is the viscous friction and iron-loss coefficient; and Fd is
the external disturbance term.
λ q = Lq i q (8)

λ d = Ld i d + λ PM (9) 5. Position Feedback-based PWM Control Scheme

ωe = n pω r
and vd, vq the d-q axis voltages; id, iq the d-q axis currents;
R the phase winding resistance; Ld, Lq the d-q axis
inductances; ωr the angular velocity of the mover; ωe the
electrical angular velocity; λPM the permanent magnet flux
linkage; np the number of primary pole pairs, and p denotes
the differential operator. Moreover,
ω r = πν / τ
(10) In the process of starting the internal LCE, there should
be enough force to drive the piston assembly from a
standstill state and also compress the fuel to achieve the
required compression ratio at the top dead center. The initial
force (or energy) is delivered by the interaction of the
magnetic field of the permanent magnets attached to the
translator and the field produced by the coils at the stator as
high current is injected into them. During starting operation
for internal LCE, the PM linear generator works as a PM
linear motor. The three-phase stator winding terminals are
(11)

Q1 Q3 Q5 rc Lc ec
rb Lb eb
AC

Q2 Q4 Q6 ra La ea

PM linear generator
AC utility Diode bridge Three-phase inverter bridge equivalent circuit

Fig. 4 Equivalent linear generator circuit connected to the three-phase inverter circuit.
connected to the inverter. The inverter is a three-phase type
as shown in Fig. 4, to control the linear motor phase’s
currents. Each leg of the inverter controls a phase of the
generator winding. In controlling the phase currents, two
phases only conduct at the same time, see Fig. 5.
To move the translator assembly from one side to the
other, the thrust force generated from the applied currents
must be in one direction for the whole stroke and in the
opposite direction while the translator assembly goes back
again. A routine was built to find the suitable phase current
at each position of the translator assembly, to provide a
thrust force in one direction. The gate signals, required
providing a thrust force in one direction over the forward
stroke and an opposite one in the backward stroke, are
shown in Fig. 5 for one period. As it can be seen from Fig.
5, the starting operation includes twelve modes. In each
mode only two switches from different bridge legs of the
three-phase PWM inverter conduct.
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
theory is shown in Fig. 6. The parameters in Fig. 2 are
defined as follows: V applied voltage, kv transformation
factor, v linear velocity, x translator position, D damping
coefficient, krip ripple coefficient, and k constant and other
parameters are already defined.
Applying the thrust control; the experimental and
simulated thrust force is shown in Fig. 7 for different
currents. It is clear that the experimental results agree to
those obtained using Finite Element Method (FEM). The
existing ripples in the thrust force are due to the cogging
force and should be minimum for critical applications.
It can be noticed that the experimental thrust force values
are compared well to those obtained using computer
simulation based on FEM. It is worth to mention that the
thrust force has value rather than zero at both ends of the
stroke to provide the essential force to overcome the
resisting forces of the internal LCE.
These resisting forces are friction and compression forces
in addition to the cogging force of the three-phase TPM
linear generator. The thrust force at both ends of the stroke
will not damage the internal LCE cylinder or piston as the
piston assembly moves in either direction, one cylinder will
undergo the expansion process while the other undergoes
compression, thus functioning as a non-linear spring. The
TPM linear generator is designed to integrate with an
internal LCE to form the FPE system. The FPE system is
suitable for many industrial, military, hybrid electric vehicle

period V(s) Vq(s) Iq(s) Fe(s) a(s) v(s) x(s)

1 πλ PM + 1 1 1
kv
Fig. 5 Gate pulse signals of three-phase inverter switches. Ls + R τ _ Mts + B s s

D
6. Experimental Results and Discussions Fe* (t) +
Fe(t) +
x(t) _ +
k PIC-16F877 krip
To verify the validity of the FEM results; a prototype of Gate signals
the three-phase TPM linear generator is built together with
the feedback control circuit as shown in Fig. 6. A position Fig. 6 Thrust force control scheme.
sensor feedback scheme is used to get the translator
position at each instant of operation. The position sensor 1800
Experimental
used here is an absolute analog type, thus there is no zero 1600
2D FEM
reference problems for new starting after stop. The position 1400 50A
sensor magnet head is attached to the linear generator 1200
thrust (N)

translator. The fixed part (scale) of the sensor is attached to 1000

the test bed. 800 30A

The output of the position sensor is transferred to the 600

400 10A
Microcontroller (MCU) circuit to manipulate and calculate
200
the correct corresponding PWM gate signals for the three-
0
phase inverter, see Fig. 5. The thrust force is measured
0 7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63
using another force sensor attached to the translator and its
output is displayed on a data acquisition (DAQ) system. translator position (mm)
The measured thrust force along the complete stroke length
of the linear generator with the control scheme using d-q Fig. 7 Thrust force at different applied current values.
and space applications to provide electrical energy. It is
found that the thrust force value Fe is in direct proportion to
the applied current. The thrust force for the backward return
stroke is the negative of the shown values in Fig. 7.
7. Conclusions
A tubular permanent magnet three-phase linear generator
was designed and optimized using 2D finite element
method software. The designed targets of the proposed
three-phase linear generator were to maximize its output
power by increasing the induced AC internal voltage in
generator mode of operation and to minimize its undesired
cogging force. The performance parameters, power losses
and output power were evaluated and demonstrated.
A position feedback controlled three-phase PWM
inverter-starting method for the linear engine coupled linear
generator system was demonstrated and evaluated. The
linear generator was used as a prime mover for the internal
linear combustion engine to provide the essential thrust
force to compress the fuel mixture and ignite the internal
linear combustion engine for a few starting cycles until it
comes to the oscillating steady state operation.
To provide a thrust force in a specific direction a control
system was built using position and force sensors.
According to the translator position an appropriate gate
signals were forward to the inverter gate driver. The
experimental thrust force values agreed well to those
obtained using computer simulation software. It was found
that the thrust force was directly proportional to the applied
current from the three-phase PWM inverter output. The
designed free piston engine system is suitable for many
industrial, military, hybrid electric vehicle and space
applications to provide electrical energy.
Acknowledgment
Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy financially
supported this work through Industry and Energy Research
Center program.
View publication stats
References
[1] I. Boldea and S. A. Nasar, “Linear electric actuators
and generators”, IEEE Trans. Energy Conversion, Vol.
14, No. 3,
[2] W. M. Arshad, “A low-leakage linear transverse- flux
machine for a free-piston generator”, Ph. D. Royal
Institute of technology, Dept. of electrical engineering,
Stockholm, Sweden, 2003.
[3] G. Benvenuto, and F. de Monte, "Analysis Of Free-
Piston Engine/Alternator Systems Part 1: Theory,"
Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 11, no. 5, p
1036–1046, Sept.-Oct. 1995.
[4] P. Famouri, and et al., “Design and testing of a novel
linear alternator and engine system for remote
electrical power generation,” Proceedings of the IEEE
Power Engineering Society Winter Meeting 1999, p
108-112, New York, Feb. 1999.
[5] J. Wang, G. W. Jewell, D. Howe, “Analysis and design
optimization of slotless tubular permanent magnet
linear motors”, Proceeding of LDIA’2001, Japan, pp.
84-89.
[6] Watada, M., Yanashima, K., Oishi, Y., and Ebihara,
D., “Improvement on characteristics of linear
oscillatory actuator for artificial hearts”, IEEE Trans.
on Magn. Vol. 29 (6), pp. 3361-3363, 1993.
[7] I. Boldea and S. A. Nasar, “Linear electric actuators
and generators”, Cambridge University Press, 1997.
[8] J. Wang, G. W. Jewell, D. Howe, “A general
framework for the analysis and design of tubular
permanent magnet machines”, IEEE Trans. on Magn.
Vol. 35 (3), pp. 1986-2000, 1999.
[9] Eastham, J. F., Akmes, R., and Lai, H. C., “Optimum
design of brushless tubular linear machine”, IEEE
Trans. on Magn. Vol. 26 (5), pp. 2547-2549, 1990.
[10] Ju Lee, H. W. Lee, Y. D. Chun, M. Sunwoo, and J. P.
Hong, “The performance prediction of controlled PM
LSM in various design schemes by FEM”, IEEE Trans.
on Magn., Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 1902-1905, 2000.
[11] Benhama, A. C. Williamson, and A. B. J. Reece,
“Force and torque computation from 2-D and 3-D
finite element field solutions”, IEE Proc.-Electr.
Power Appl., Vol. 146, No. 1, pp. 25-31, 1999.
[12] Boldea, I., and Nasar, S. A. (1997),”Linear Electric
Actuators and Generators”, London: Cambridge
University Press, 1997.