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free-piston engine
A type of diesel engine in which the power output is extracted from a turbine driven by the exhaust gases and not via any direct rod and crank drive. The combustion chamber is formed between two opposed pistons in a closed metal tube, the piston oscillating in and out in phase with each other, regularly exposing the exhaust and air-inlet ports. Fuel is injected at the midpoint. The engine, which has a good power-to-weight ratio and is use din some ships, has the advantage that the gasifier and turbine units need not be sited adjacently.
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