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

Dumitrescu, Cosmin E.; Mueller, Charles J.; Kurtz, Eric

doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.12.068

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

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Abstract

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.

Authors:

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

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

Publication Date:: Thu Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 2015

Research Org.:: Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

OSTI Identifier:: 1340258

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1257873

Report Number(s):: SAND-2016-12384J
Journal ID: ISSN 1359-4311; 649749

Grant/Contract Number:: AC04-94AL85000; EE0005386

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Applied Thermal Engineering

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 101; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 1359-4311

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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

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                    Dumitrescu, Cosmin E., Mueller, Charles J., and Kurtz, Eric. Investigation of a tripropylene-glycol monomethyl ether and diesel blend for soot-free combustion in an optical direct-injection diesel engine.  United States: N. p., 2015. 
Web.  doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.12.068.

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                    Dumitrescu, Cosmin E., Mueller, Charles J., & Kurtz, Eric. Investigation of a tripropylene-glycol monomethyl ether and diesel blend for soot-free combustion in an optical direct-injection diesel engine.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.12.068

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                    Dumitrescu, Cosmin E., Mueller, Charles J., and Kurtz, Eric. Thu .  
"Investigation of a tripropylene-glycol monomethyl ether and diesel blend for soot-free combustion in an optical direct-injection diesel engine".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.12.068.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1340258.

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@article{osti_1340258,

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

  author       = {Dumitrescu, Cosmin E. and Mueller, Charles J. and Kurtz, Eric},

  abstractNote = {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 NOx 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.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.12.068},

  journal      = {Applied Thermal Engineering},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 101,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Thu Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 2015},

  month        = {Thu Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 2015}

}

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