Title: Impact of Selected High-Performance Fuel Blends on Three-Way Catalyst Light Off under Synthetic Spark-Ignition Engine-Exhaust Conditions

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Energy funded Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines initiative aims to simultaneously develop advanced engines along with high-performance fuels to reduce petroleum consumption. The engine exhaust of spark-ignited light-duty vehicles contains pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide (CO), and non-methane organic gases. When operated above their “light-off” temperature, three-way catalysts (TWCs) efficiently control the emissions of these pollutants from the vehicle exhaust. However, below the catalyst light-off temperature, during cold start, the TWCs are not effective. Thus, the stringent environmental regulations necessitate cold-start compliance of advanced engines operating on novel fuels for commercialization. Exhaust composition strongly impacts the effectiveness of TWCs. Hence, ensuring that the high-performance fuels under consideration do not have detrimental effects on current emissions control technology is necessary. To mitigate cold-start emissions, a low light-off temperature of the fuel on the TWC is desirable. As real-world fuels are multicomponent blends, we conducted investigations into the light-off behavior of representative fuel mixtures on a three-mode redox-aged commercial TWC under synthetic engine-exhaust conditions. The high-performance fuels in this study included 10–30% volumetric levels of ethanol, isobutanol, diisobutylene, and an aromatic mixture. Each of these high-performance fuel components was mixed into a gasoline surrogate blendstock formore » oxygenate blending (BOB). Our results showed that aromatics and alkenes in the surrogate BOB inhibit low-temperature reactivity of alkanes, alcohols, and CO on the TWC and dominate the blend light-off behavior. All the high-performance fuel blends had a very similar light-off behavior to the surrogate gasoline BOB, indicating that blending up to 30% (by vol.) of high-performance blendstocks in a gasoline base fuel can potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions through improved engine efficiency and petroleum displacement without jeopardizing the ability to meet emissions regulations. While some high-performance blendstocks demonstrated lower light-off temperatures than a surrogate gasoline blend, taking advantage of the higher catalytic reactivity of these blendstocks to reduce cold-start emissions would require reducing the aromatic content in petroleum-based market fuels.« less

Authors:

Sinha Majumdar, Sreshtha  ^[1];

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• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-0394-2672"

Pihl, Josh A.  ^[1]

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Pihl, Josh A."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-9798-4012"

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Publication Date:

Wed Sep 09 00:00:00 EDT 2020

Research Org.:

Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Vehicle Technologies Office

OSTI Identifier:

1777808

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC05-00OR22725

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Energy and Fuels

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 34; Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 0887-0624

Publisher:

American Chemical Society (ACS)

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS; Mixtures; Catalysts; Hydrocarbons; Aromatic compounds; Fossil fuels