Investigation of a tripropylene-glycol monomethyl ether and diesel blend for soot-free combustion in an optical direct-injection diesel engine

Journal Article · Thu Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Applied Thermal Engineering

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.12.068· OSTI ID:1340258

Dumitrescu, Cosmin E. ^[1]; Mueller, Charles J. ^[2]; Kurtz, Eric ^[3]

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1. West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States)
2. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)
3. Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, MI (United States)

Natural luminosity and chemiluminescence imaging diagnostics were employed to investigate if a 50/50 blend by volume of tripropylene-glycol monomethyl ether (TPGME) and ultra-low sulfur #2 diesel certification fuel (CF) could enable leaner-lifted flame combustion (LLFC), a non-sooting mode of mixing-controlled combustion associated with equivalence ratios below approximately 2. The experiments were performed in a singlecylinder heavy-duty optical compression-ignition engine at three injection pressures and three dilution levels. Results indicate that TPGME addition effectively eliminated engine-out smoke emissions by curtailing soot production and/or increasing soot oxidation during and after the end of fuel injection. TPGME greatly reduced soot luminosity when compared with neat CF, but did not enable LLFC because the equivalence ratios at the lift-off length, $$\phi$$(H), never reached the non-sooting limit. Nevertheless, this study showed that TPGME addition has the potential to enable LLFC under different experimental conditions that would further decrease $$\phi$$(H) to ~ 2 and below. Concerning other engine-out emissions, injection pressure influenced the effects of TPGME addition on NO_x emissions. Finally, HC and CO emissions were higher compared to baseline fuel likely due to the lower net heat of combustion of TPGME and the need to limit fuel-injection duration for valid optical measurements.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000; EE0005386
• OSTI ID: 1340258
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1257873
• Report Number(s): SAND-2016-12384J; 649749
• Journal Information: Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 101, Issue C; ISSN 1359-4311
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
42 ENGINEERING
Diesel
Soot-free combustion
Oxygenate
LLFC