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Blended fuel property analysis of butyl-exchanged polyoxymethylene ethers as renewable diesel blendstocks

Journal Article · · Fuel
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  1. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
  2. Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)
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Methyl-terminated polyoxymethylene ethers (MM-POMEs), having the formula CH3O-(CH2O)n-CH3 (n = 3-6), are a class of oxygenates with desirable diesel-like fuel properties including high cetane number and low soot formation. However, their low energy density and high water-solubility present barriers to their adoption. Both concerns were recently addressed by our research group by synthesizing a mixture of POME structures having butyl end-groups and n = 1-6, termed B*POME1-6. B*POME1-6 maintained the advantageous properties of the parent MM-POMEs, and exhibited improved energy density and most notably, dramatically decreased water solubility. For evaluation against a set of criteria for a blended diesel blendstock, a 20 vol% blend of B*POME1-6 with a base diesel fuel was investigated here. Oxidation stability, cetane number, sooting tendency, lubricity and conductivity were improved in the B*POME1-6 blend compared with the base diesel, while also maintaining the flash point, cloud point, energy density, viscosity, and boiling point requirements. The B*POME1-6 product demonstrated a synergistic blending behavior at 10 vol% and a linear blending behavior at 20-30 vol% blends, in agreement with similar POME blends at comparable blend levels. Finally, common environmental and toxicity models performed on B*POME1-6 component molecules suggested they have a greater propensity to partition into the water compartment compared to a common diesel surrogate, but with a lower tendency to bioaccumulate.
Research Organization:
Colorado State University; National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) Project; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Bioenergy Technologies Office (EE-3B); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308; EE0008726
OSTI ID:
1865875
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5100-82522; MainId:83295; UUID:5592d8e5-13a2-4699-be03-8bd498e77a28; MainAdminID:64267
Journal Information:
Fuel, Journal Name: Fuel Vol. 322; ISSN 0016-2361
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Figures / Tables (5)

Figure 1(p. 4)figure Figure 1
Figure 2(p. 10)figure Figure 2
Figure 3(p. 13)figure Figure 3
Table 1(p. 15)table Table 1
Table 2(p. 16)table Table 2

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Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
cetane number
diesel-blendstock
fuel properties
polyoxymethylene ethers
toxicology