Feasibility Study of an On-Board Natural Gas to Dimethyl Ether Reactor for Dimethyl Ether Preinjection and Enhanced Ignition

2004 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 909-917 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Horstman ◽  
Duane Abata ◽  
Jason Keith ◽  
Leroy Oberto
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Dimethyl Ether ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Combustion Efficiency ◽  
Synthesis Process ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Combined System ◽  
Ci Engines

Dual fuel (CI) engines provide an excellent means of maintaining high thermal efficiency and power while reducing emissions. This is particularly true in situations where the main CI fuel does not exhibit good autoignition characteristics, such as diesel engines operating on natural gas usually in stationary applications such as a pipeline installation. This paper explores the feasibility of chemically synthesizing DME from natural gas “on-board” and using it as an ignition source for a dual fuel engine. Conversion from diesel to dual fuel operation merits substantial benefits in PM emission reduction. Assuming a 5% pilot amount, a “once through” process has been modeled and a first law analysis (using practical isentropic efficiencies) demonstrates that this combined system can be operated with a reduction of between 5%–10% of the equivalent diesel efficiency. Significant quantities (∼30vol%) of hydrogen are introduced to the natural gas as a byproduct of the DME synthesis process. The corresponding increase in combustion efficiency must be validated by experiments to determine DME and H2 requirements for successful pilot ignition of the natural gas/H2 mixture.

Feasibility Study of an On-Board Natural Gas to DME Reactor for DME Pre-Injection and Enhanced Ignition

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Horstman ◽  
Duane Abata ◽  
Jason Keith ◽  
Leroy Oberto
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Combustion Efficiency ◽  
Synthesis Process ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Combined System ◽  
Auto Ignition ◽  
Ignition Characteristics ◽  
Ci Engines

Dual fuel (CI) engines provide an excellent means of maintaining high thermal efficiency and power while reducing emissions. This is particularly true in situations where the main CI fuel does not exhibit good auto-ignition characteristics, such as diesel engines operating on natural gas usually in stationary applications such as a pipeline installation. This paper explores the feasibility of chemically synthesizing DME from natural gas ‘on-board’ and using it as an ignition source for a dual fuel engine. Assuming a 5% pilot amount, a ‘once through’ process has been modeled and a first law analysis (using practical isentropic efficiencies) demonstrates that this combined system can be operated with a reduction of between 5–10% of the equivalent diesel efficiency. Significant quantities (∼30 vol.%) of hydrogen are introduced to the natural gas as a byproduct of the DME synthesis process. The corresponding increase in combustion efficiency must be validated by experiments to determine DME and H2 requirements for successful pilot ignition of the natural gas/H2 mixture.

A Computational Investigation of the Impact of Multiple Injection Strategies on Combustion Efficiency in Diesel-Natural Gas Dual Fuel Low Temperature Combustion Engine

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Bartolucci ◽  
Stefano Cordiner ◽  
Vincenzo Mulone ◽  
Sundar R. Krishnan ◽  
Kalyan K. Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Combustion Efficiency ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Pilot Injection ◽  
Low Temperature Combustion ◽  
Single Cylinder ◽  
Temperature Combustion ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Dual fuel diesel-methane low temperature combustion (LTC) has been investigated by various research groups, showing high potential for emissions reduction (especially oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM)) without adversely affecting fuel conversion efficiency in comparison with conventional diesel combustion. However, when operated at low load conditions, dual fuel LTC typically exhibit poor combustion efficiencies. This behavior is mainly due to low bulk gas temperatures under lean conditions, resulting in unacceptably high carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) emissions. A feasible and rather innovative solution may be to split the pilot injection of liquid fuel into two injection pulses, with the second pilot injection supporting the methane combustion once the process is initiated by the first one. In this work, diesel-methane dual fuel LTC is investigated numerically in a single-cylinder heavy-duty engine operating at 5 bar brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) at 85% and 75% percentage of energy substitution (PES) by methane (taken as a natural gas surrogate). A multidimensional model is first validated in comparison with experimental data obtained on the same single-cylinder engine for early single pilot diesel injection at 310 CAD and 500 bar rail pressure. With the single pilot injection case as baseline, the effects of multiple pilot injections and different rail pressures on combustion emissions are investigated, again showing good agreement with experimental data. Apparent heat release rate and cylinder pressure histories as well as combustion efficiency trends are correctly captured by the numerical model. Results prove that higher rail pressures yield reductions of HC and CO by 90% and 75%, respectively, at the expense of NOx emissions, which increase by ∼30% from baseline. Furthermore, it is shown that post-injection during the expansion stroke does not support the stable development of the combustion front as the combustion process is confined close to the diesel spray core.

Feasibility Study of Exhaust Emissions in a Natural Gas Diesel Dual Fuel (DDF) Engine

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Taniguchi ◽  
Masahiko Masubuchi ◽  
Koji Kitano ◽  
Kazuhisa Mogi
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Exhaust Emissions ◽  
Dual Fuel

scholarly journals Use of Adaptive Injection Strategies to Increase the Full Load Limit of RCCI Operation

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reed Hanson ◽  
Andrew Ickes ◽  
Thomas Wallner
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Fuel Injection ◽  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Peak Load ◽  
Combustion Process ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Injection Strategies

Dual-fuel combustion using port-injection of low reactivity fuel combined with direct injection (DI) of a higher reactivity fuel, otherwise known as reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI), has been shown as a method to achieve low-temperature combustion with moderate peak pressure rise rates, low engine-out soot and NOx emissions, and high indicated thermal efficiency. A key requirement for extending to high-load operation is moderating the reactivity of the premixed charge prior to the diesel injection. One way to accomplish this is to use a very low reactivity fuel such as natural gas. In this work, experimental testing was conducted on a 13 l multicylinder heavy-duty diesel engine modified to operate using RCCI combustion with port injection of natural gas and DI of diesel fuel. Engine testing was conducted at an engine speed of 1200 rpm over a wide variety of loads and injection conditions. The impact on dual-fuel engine performance and emissions with respect to varying the fuel injection parameters is quantified within this study. The injection strategies used in the work were found to affect the combustion process in similar ways to both conventional diesel combustion (CDC) and RCCI combustion for phasing control and emissions performance. As the load is increased, the port fuel injection (PFI) quantity was reduced to keep peak cylinder pressure (PCP) and maximum pressure rise rate (MPRR) under the imposed limits. Overall, the peak load using the new injection strategy was shown to reach 22 bar brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) with a peak brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of 47.6%.

scholarly journals A Study on the High Load Operation of a Natural Gas-Diesel Dual-Fuel Engine

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shouvik Dev ◽  
Hongsheng Guo ◽  
Brian Liko
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Diesel Engines ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Direct Injection ◽  
High Load ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Brake Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Dual Fuel Engines

Diesel fueled compression ignition engines are widely used in power generation and freight transport owing to their high fuel conversion efficiency and ability to operate reliably for long periods of time at high loads. However, such engines generate significant amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM) emissions. One solution to reduce the CO2 and particulate matter emissions of diesel engines while maintaining their efficiency and reliability is natural gas (NG)-diesel dual-fuel combustion. In addition to methane emissions, the temperatures of the diesel injector tip and exhaust gas can also be concerns for dual-fuel engines at medium and high load operating conditions. In this study, a single cylinder NG-diesel dual-fuel research engine is operated at two high load conditions (75% and 100% load). NG fraction and diesel direct injection (DI) timing are two of the simplest control parameters for optimization of diesel engines converted to dual-fuel engines. In addition to studying the combined impact of these parameters on combustion and emissions performance, another unique aspect of this research is the measurement of the diesel injector tip temperature which can predict potential coking issues in dual-fuel engines. Results show that increasing NG fraction and advancing diesel direct injection timing can increase the injector tip temperature. With increasing NG fraction, while the methane emissions increase, the equivalent CO2 emissions (cumulative greenhouse gas effect of CO2 and CH4) of the engine decrease. Increasing NG fraction also improves the brake thermal efficiency of the engine though NOx emissions increase. By optimizing the combustion phasing through control of the DI timing, brake thermal efficiencies of the order of ∼42% can be achieved. At high loads, advanced diesel DI timings typically correspond to the higher maximum cylinder pressure, maximum pressure rise rate, brake thermal efficiency and NOx emissions, and lower soot, CO, and CO2-equivalent emissions.

scholarly journals A Computational Investigation of the Impact of Multiple Injection Strategies on Combustion Efficiency in Diesel–Natural Gas Dual-Fuel Low-Temperature Combustion Engines

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Bartolucci ◽  
Stefano Cordiner ◽  
Vincenzo Mulone ◽  
Sundar R. Krishnan ◽  
Kalyan K. Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Combustion Efficiency ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Pilot Injection ◽  
Low Temperature Combustion ◽  
Single Cylinder ◽  
Temperature Combustion ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Dual-fuel diesel–methane low-temperature combustion (LTC) has been investigated by various research groups, showing high potential for emissions reduction (especially oxides of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM)) without adversely affecting fuel conversion efficiency in comparison with conventional diesel combustion. However, when operated at low load conditions, dual-fuel LTC typically exhibits poor combustion efficiencies. This behavior is mainly due to low bulk gas temperatures under lean conditions, resulting in unacceptably high carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) emissions. A feasible and rather innovative solution may be to split the pilot injection of liquid fuel into two injection pulses, with the second pilot injection supporting CO and UHC oxidation once combustion is initiated by the first one. In this study, diesel–methane dual-fuel LTC is investigated numerically in a single-cylinder heavy-duty engine operating at 5 bar brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) at 85% and 75% percentage of energy substitution (PES) by methane (taken as a natural gas (NG) surrogate). A multidimensional model is first validated in comparison with the experimental data obtained on the same single-cylinder engine for early single pilot diesel injection at 310 crank angle degrees (CAD) and 500 bar rail pressure. With the single pilot injection case as baseline, the effects of multiple pilot injections and different rail pressures on combustion and emissions are investigated, again showing good agreement with the experimental data. Apparent heat release rate and cylinder pressure histories as well as combustion efficiency trends are correctly captured by the numerical model. Results prove that higher rail pressures yield reductions of HC and CO by 90% and 75%, respectively, at the expense of NOx emissions, which increase by ∼30% from baseline still remaining at very low level (under 1 g/kWh). Furthermore, it is shown that postinjection during the expansion stroke does not support the stable development of the combustion front as the combustion process is confined close to the diesel spray core.

Theoretical Analyses of Heat Balance in a Diesel/Natural Gas Dual-Fuel Engine at Low and Medium Loads Based on Experimental Values

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongshu Wang ◽  
Guizhi Du ◽  
Ming Li ◽  
Yun Xu ◽  
Fangyuan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Energy Utilization ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Exergy Destruction ◽  
Energy Fraction ◽  
Combustion Heat ◽  
Diesel Injection

Abstract In order to propose the control strategies based on exergy to realize efficient and energy-saving operation of the engine, the energy and exergy balance under sensitive boundary conditions were analyzed with the first and second laws of thermodynamics on a six-cylinders, four strokes, turbocharged, intercooled, and high-pressure common rail diesel/natural gas (NG) dual-fuel engine in this paper. The results depicted that the thermal efficiency and exergy efficiency decrease with the increase of NG percentage energy substitution rate (PES). Compared with other conditions, at medium load, 1978 rpm and 90% PES, the exergy destruction caused by irreversibility process including mixing combustion, heat transfer and mechanical friction reaches 72.33%. With the advance of diesel injection time (Tinj), thermal efficiency and energy fraction of heat transfer increase first and then decrease. However, diesel injection pressure (Pinj) has little effect on improving energy utilization. Compared with single diesel injection, appropriate multiple diesel injection can improve combustion performance and energy utilization. When the first Tinj is 35 deg CA BTDC and second Tinj is 25 deg CA BTDC, nearly 50% of the energy lost in heat transfer can be converted into useful work. The lost exergy can be reduced by choosing appreciate Tinj and Pinj, adding exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) to reduce in-cylinder temperature to improve combustion and using thermal insulation materials to reduce heat transfer or using the lost heat in other processes such as preheating intake air and producing the hot water or steam of external consumption to reduce the exergy destruction.

Diesel-Like Efficiency Using Compressed Natural Gas/Diesel Dual-Fuel Combustion

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karthik Nithyanandan ◽  
Jiaxiang Zhang ◽  
Yuqiang Li ◽  
Xiangyu Meng ◽  
Robert Donahue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Substitution Rate ◽  
Fuel Combustion ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Injection Timing ◽  
Diesel Combustion ◽  
Compressed Natural Gas ◽  
Diesel Injection ◽  
Dual Fuel Combustion ◽  
Ci Engines

The use of natural gas in compression ignition (CI) engines as a supplement to diesel under dual-fuel combustion mode is a promising technique to increase efficiency and reduce emissions. In this study, the effect of dual-fuel operating mode on combustion characteristics, engine performance and pollutant emissions of a diesel engine using natural gas as primary fuel and neat diesel as pilot fuel, has been examined. Natural gas (99% methane) was port injected into an AVL 5402 single cylinder diesel research engine under various engine operating conditions and up to 90% substitution was achieved. In addition, neat diesel was also tested as a baseline for comparison. The experiments were conducted at three different speeds—1200, 1500, and 2000 rpm, and at different diesel-equivalent loads (injection quantity)—15, 20 (7 bar IMEP), and 25 mg/cycle. Both performance and emissions data are presented and discussed. The performance was evaluated through measurements of in-cylinder pressure, power output and various exhaust emissions including unburned hydrocarbons (UHCs), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and soot. The goal of these experiments was to maximize the efficiency. This was done as follows—the compressed natural gas (CNG) substitution rate (based on energy) was increased from 30% to 90% at fixed engine conditions, to identify the optimum CNG substitution rate. Then using that rate, a main injection timing sweep was performed. Under these optimized conditions, combustion behavior was also compared between single, double, and triple injections. Finally, a load and speed sweep at the optimum CNG rate and timings were performed. It was found that a 70% CNG substitution provided the highest indicated thermal efficiency (ITE). It appears that dual-fuel combustion has a maximum brake torque (MBT) diesel injection timing for different conditions which provides the highest torque. Based on multiple diesel injection tests, it was found that the conditions that favor pure diesel combustion, also favor dual-fuel combustion because better diesel combustion provides better ignition and combustion for the CNG-air mixture. For 70% CNG dual-fuel combustion, multiple diesel injections showed an increase in the efficiency. Based on the experiments conducted, diesel-CNG dual-fuel combustion is able to achieve similar efficiency and reduced emissions relative to pure diesel combustion. As such, CNG can be effectively used to substitute for diesel fuel in CI engines.

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