| An engine for a novel compact palm sized electric power generator was developed. Due to fabrication and space limitations a flat, rectangular, piston with spring return two-cycle engine was selected. This novel geometry raised many issues that had to be solved. These included: sealing, scavenging, and high aspect ratio (i.e., flame quenching and high heat losses) effects. Engines as thin as 3.175 mm were developed that produced 11.6 W of mechanical power. A somewhat thicker engine (6.35 mm) produced 15W of electrical power when attached to a voice coil generator.; To better understand the combustion process in these types of engines, constant volume combustion in thin, flat rectangular combustors was studied. A model was also developed to help determine the parameters that control the behavior in these combustors, some of which could not be measured directly. A range of thicknesses over which combustion propagates was identified and the variation of system efficiency and heat transfer losses as well as overall combustor behavior with thickness were also determined. In addition, a threshold thickness at which the combustor switches from heat generation dominated mode to a heat loss dominated regime was identified. Finally, bulk flow, turbulence and leaks were identified as the parameters that need to be added to the model to enable it to predict the operation of the engine. |
