On board dimethyl ether generation to assist methanol engine cold starting

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5845899

Karpuk, M E; Cowley, S W

Dimethyl ether has high vapor pressure and wide flammability limits, which make it an excellent fuel for cold starting methanol engines. The authors have investigated the catalytic dehydration of methanol to produce dimethyl ether on board methanol-fueled vehicles. They tested four methanol dehydration catalysts in a microcatalytic plug flow reactor and found that a fluorinated /gamma/-alumina was very active and selective for methanol dehydration in the 250-350/sup 0/C (482-662/sup 0/F) temperature range. They also tested the fluorinated /gamma/-alumina catalyst with a 15% gasoline/85% methanol mixture (M85) and found that the catalyst activity decreased in proportion to the gasoline content but that no catalyst deactivation occurred.

• OSTI ID: 5845899
• Report Number(s): CONF-8810120-
• Resource Relation: Conference: Society of Automotive Engineers fuels and lubricants meeting and exposition, Portland, OR, USA, 10-13 Oct 1988; Other Information: Technical Paper 881678
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
02 PETROLEUM
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
GASOLINE
FUEL ADDITIVES
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
START-UP
METHANOL
METHYL ETHER
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
CATALYSTS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
ADDITIVES
ALCOHOLS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
ENGINES
ETHERS
FUELS
HEAT ENGINES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
LIQUID FUELS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
090210* - Alcohol Fuels- Properties- (1976-1989)
023000 - Petroleum- Properties & Composition
330800 - Emission Control- Alternative Fuels