VARIABLE COMPRESSION RATIO FREE PISTON INTERNAL COMBUSTION ELECTRICAL GENERATOR The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE), its laboratories and production facilities are committed to helping businesses in the United States to improve the cycle from new ideas and product innovation to product development and commercialization. In order to achieve this goal, the DOE has put in place a program to transfer technologies developed at its laboratories to the private sector for commercial applications. DOE's objective in doing this is to establish mutually beneficial partnerships that can leverage advanced technologies and enhance the U.S. position in the ever changing global marketplace. Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) is one of the participating laboratories in this program. By this announcement, Sandia is soliciting expressions of interest from U.S. businesses for potential licensing of the following technology for a which patent applications has been filed with the U.S. Patent Office. Sandia National Laboratories is pursuing a concept called the Variable Compression Ratio Free PistonInternal Combustion Electrical Generator. The concept subsidizes mechanical simplicity with electronic sophistication, resulting in a one moving part engine. The one part is a free double ended piston oscillating inside a double ended cylinder. This concept has several advantages as given below. o The compression is developed inertially and is not fixed. Thus it can be controlled through kinetic energy management. This also eliminates the need for a heavy structure necessary to support a high compression ratio in a conventional crankshaft engine. o Homogeneous charge compression ignition can combust lean homogeneous mixtures of hydrocarbon fuels rapidly, impossible with spark ignition, thus greatly reducing NOx production. o All moving engine parts excepting the piston and inlet blower are eliminated. o Ideal Otto cycle performance is approached more closely than in a conventional engine due to rapid combustion and reduced heat transfer time possibly resulting in higher efficiency and combined with a lean fuel/air mixture will result in drastically reduced NOx emissions. This engine will theoretically produce electricity with 40% less fuel than existing designs and with significantly lower emissions. o Because of the lack of piston side loads, this engine may be capable of operating with oil-less piston rings, resulting in zero hydrocarbon emissions when hydrogen is the fuel. This generator design does not need development of new technologies to evaluate its performance, however prototyping and experimental verification of its performance remains to be performed and Sandia is looking for interested parties for collaborating with Sandia by investing in developing the prototype and commercializing the invention under a license agreement. This is not a solicitation. Interested parties are invited to submit a letter of interest providing information about the company, areas of potential application for the technology and the point of contact (including address, telephone and fax numbers). Letters should be sent to: C. V. Subramanian, MS 9141, Sandia National Laboratories, P. O. Box 969, Livermore, CA 94551 (FAX:925-294-3389). Posted 10/07/98 (W-SN260251).

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0481 19981009\SP-0026.MSC)