Feasibility Study of an On-Board Natural Gas to DME Reactor for DME Pre-Injection and Enhanced Ignition

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Horstman ◽  
Duane Abata ◽  
Jason Keith ◽  
Leroy Oberto
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Combustion Efficiency ◽  
Synthesis Process ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Combined System ◽  
Auto Ignition ◽  
Ignition Characteristics ◽  
Ci Engines

Dual fuel (CI) engines provide an excellent means of maintaining high thermal efficiency and power while reducing emissions. This is particularly true in situations where the main CI fuel does not exhibit good auto-ignition characteristics, such as diesel engines operating on natural gas usually in stationary applications such as a pipeline installation. This paper explores the feasibility of chemically synthesizing DME from natural gas ‘on-board’ and using it as an ignition source for a dual fuel engine. Assuming a 5% pilot amount, a ‘once through’ process has been modeled and a first law analysis (using practical isentropic efficiencies) demonstrates that this combined system can be operated with a reduction of between 5–10% of the equivalent diesel efficiency. Significant quantities (∼30 vol.%) of hydrogen are introduced to the natural gas as a byproduct of the DME synthesis process. The corresponding increase in combustion efficiency must be validated by experiments to determine DME and H2 requirements for successful pilot ignition of the natural gas/H2 mixture.

Feasibility Study of an On-Board Natural Gas to Dimethyl Ether Reactor for Dimethyl Ether Preinjection and Enhanced Ignition

2004 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 909-917 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Horstman ◽  
Duane Abata ◽  
Jason Keith ◽  
Leroy Oberto
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Dimethyl Ether ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Combustion Efficiency ◽  
Synthesis Process ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Combined System ◽  
Ci Engines

Dual fuel (CI) engines provide an excellent means of maintaining high thermal efficiency and power while reducing emissions. This is particularly true in situations where the main CI fuel does not exhibit good autoignition characteristics, such as diesel engines operating on natural gas usually in stationary applications such as a pipeline installation. This paper explores the feasibility of chemically synthesizing DME from natural gas “on-board” and using it as an ignition source for a dual fuel engine. Conversion from diesel to dual fuel operation merits substantial benefits in PM emission reduction. Assuming a 5% pilot amount, a “once through” process has been modeled and a first law analysis (using practical isentropic efficiencies) demonstrates that this combined system can be operated with a reduction of between 5%–10% of the equivalent diesel efficiency. Significant quantities (∼30vol%) of hydrogen are introduced to the natural gas as a byproduct of the DME synthesis process. The corresponding increase in combustion efficiency must be validated by experiments to determine DME and H2 requirements for successful pilot ignition of the natural gas/H2 mixture.

A Computational Investigation of the Impact of Multiple Injection Strategies on Combustion Efficiency in Diesel-Natural Gas Dual Fuel Low Temperature Combustion Engine

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Bartolucci ◽  
Stefano Cordiner ◽  
Vincenzo Mulone ◽  
Sundar R. Krishnan ◽  
Kalyan K. Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Combustion Efficiency ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Pilot Injection ◽  
Low Temperature Combustion ◽  
Single Cylinder ◽  
Temperature Combustion ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Dual fuel diesel-methane low temperature combustion (LTC) has been investigated by various research groups, showing high potential for emissions reduction (especially oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM)) without adversely affecting fuel conversion efficiency in comparison with conventional diesel combustion. However, when operated at low load conditions, dual fuel LTC typically exhibit poor combustion efficiencies. This behavior is mainly due to low bulk gas temperatures under lean conditions, resulting in unacceptably high carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) emissions. A feasible and rather innovative solution may be to split the pilot injection of liquid fuel into two injection pulses, with the second pilot injection supporting the methane combustion once the process is initiated by the first one. In this work, diesel-methane dual fuel LTC is investigated numerically in a single-cylinder heavy-duty engine operating at 5 bar brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) at 85% and 75% percentage of energy substitution (PES) by methane (taken as a natural gas surrogate). A multidimensional model is first validated in comparison with experimental data obtained on the same single-cylinder engine for early single pilot diesel injection at 310 CAD and 500 bar rail pressure. With the single pilot injection case as baseline, the effects of multiple pilot injections and different rail pressures on combustion emissions are investigated, again showing good agreement with experimental data. Apparent heat release rate and cylinder pressure histories as well as combustion efficiency trends are correctly captured by the numerical model. Results prove that higher rail pressures yield reductions of HC and CO by 90% and 75%, respectively, at the expense of NOx emissions, which increase by ∼30% from baseline. Furthermore, it is shown that post-injection during the expansion stroke does not support the stable development of the combustion front as the combustion process is confined close to the diesel spray core.

Feasibility Study of Exhaust Emissions in a Natural Gas Diesel Dual Fuel (DDF) Engine

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Taniguchi ◽  
Masahiko Masubuchi ◽  
Koji Kitano ◽  
Kazuhisa Mogi
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Exhaust Emissions ◽  
Dual Fuel

scholarly journals Use of Adaptive Injection Strategies to Increase the Full Load Limit of RCCI Operation

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reed Hanson ◽  
Andrew Ickes ◽  
Thomas Wallner
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Fuel Injection ◽  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Peak Load ◽  
Combustion Process ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Injection Strategies

Dual-fuel combustion using port-injection of low reactivity fuel combined with direct injection (DI) of a higher reactivity fuel, otherwise known as reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI), has been shown as a method to achieve low-temperature combustion with moderate peak pressure rise rates, low engine-out soot and NOx emissions, and high indicated thermal efficiency. A key requirement for extending to high-load operation is moderating the reactivity of the premixed charge prior to the diesel injection. One way to accomplish this is to use a very low reactivity fuel such as natural gas. In this work, experimental testing was conducted on a 13 l multicylinder heavy-duty diesel engine modified to operate using RCCI combustion with port injection of natural gas and DI of diesel fuel. Engine testing was conducted at an engine speed of 1200 rpm over a wide variety of loads and injection conditions. The impact on dual-fuel engine performance and emissions with respect to varying the fuel injection parameters is quantified within this study. The injection strategies used in the work were found to affect the combustion process in similar ways to both conventional diesel combustion (CDC) and RCCI combustion for phasing control and emissions performance. As the load is increased, the port fuel injection (PFI) quantity was reduced to keep peak cylinder pressure (PCP) and maximum pressure rise rate (MPRR) under the imposed limits. Overall, the peak load using the new injection strategy was shown to reach 22 bar brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) with a peak brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of 47.6%.

Auto-ignition Characteristics of Gasoline Sprays with Two-Stage Injection in CI Engines

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017.9 (0) ◽  
pp. B201
Author(s):  
Yoshimitsu Kobashi ◽  
Shuhei Yuze ◽  
Hideyuki Ogawa ◽  
Gen Shibata ◽  
Satoshi Kato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Two Stage ◽  
Auto Ignition ◽  
Ignition Characteristics ◽  
Ci Engines

scholarly journals A Study on the High Load Operation of a Natural Gas-Diesel Dual-Fuel Engine

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shouvik Dev ◽  
Hongsheng Guo ◽  
Brian Liko
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Diesel Engines ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Direct Injection ◽  
High Load ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Brake Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Dual Fuel Engines

Diesel fueled compression ignition engines are widely used in power generation and freight transport owing to their high fuel conversion efficiency and ability to operate reliably for long periods of time at high loads. However, such engines generate significant amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM) emissions. One solution to reduce the CO2 and particulate matter emissions of diesel engines while maintaining their efficiency and reliability is natural gas (NG)-diesel dual-fuel combustion. In addition to methane emissions, the temperatures of the diesel injector tip and exhaust gas can also be concerns for dual-fuel engines at medium and high load operating conditions. In this study, a single cylinder NG-diesel dual-fuel research engine is operated at two high load conditions (75% and 100% load). NG fraction and diesel direct injection (DI) timing are two of the simplest control parameters for optimization of diesel engines converted to dual-fuel engines. In addition to studying the combined impact of these parameters on combustion and emissions performance, another unique aspect of this research is the measurement of the diesel injector tip temperature which can predict potential coking issues in dual-fuel engines. Results show that increasing NG fraction and advancing diesel direct injection timing can increase the injector tip temperature. With increasing NG fraction, while the methane emissions increase, the equivalent CO2 emissions (cumulative greenhouse gas effect of CO2 and CH4) of the engine decrease. Increasing NG fraction also improves the brake thermal efficiency of the engine though NOx emissions increase. By optimizing the combustion phasing through control of the DI timing, brake thermal efficiencies of the order of ∼42% can be achieved. At high loads, advanced diesel DI timings typically correspond to the higher maximum cylinder pressure, maximum pressure rise rate, brake thermal efficiency and NOx emissions, and lower soot, CO, and CO2-equivalent emissions.

Influence of Injection Parameters and Operating Conditions on Ignition and Combustion in Dual-Fuel Engines

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Grochowina ◽  
Michael Schiffner ◽  
Simon Tartsch ◽  
Thomas Sattelmayer
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Injection Pressure ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Liquid Fuels ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Injection Parameters ◽  
Auto Ignition ◽  
Pilot Fuel

Dual-fuel (DF) engines offer great fuel flexibility since they can either run on gaseous or liquid fuels. In the case of diesel pilot-ignited DF engines, the main source of energy is provided by gaseous fuel, whereas the diesel fuel acts only as an ignition source. Therefore, a proper auto-ignition of the pilot fuel is of utmost importance for combustion in DF engines. However, auto-ignition of the pilot fuel suffers from lower compression temperatures of Miller or Atkinson valve timings. These valve timings are applied to increase efficiency and lower nitrogen oxide (NOx) engine emissions. In order to improve the ignition, it is necessary to understand which parameters influence the ignition in DF engines. For this purpose, experiments were conducted and the influence of parameters, such as injection pressure, pilot fuel quantity, compression temperature, and air–fuel (A/F) equivalence ratio of the homogenous natural gas–air mixture were investigated. The experiments were performed on a periodically chargeable combustion cell using optical high-speed recordings and thermodynamic measurement techniques for pressure and temperature. The study reveals that the quality of the diesel pilot ignition in terms of short ignition delay and a high number of ignited sprays significantly depends on the injection parameters and operating conditions. In most cases, the pilot fuel suffers from too high dilution due to its small quantity and long ignition delays. This results in a small number of ignited sprays and consequently leads to longer combustion durations. Furthermore, the experiments confirm that the natural gas of the background mixture influences the auto-ignition of the diesel pilot oil.

scholarly journals A Computational Investigation of the Impact of Multiple Injection Strategies on Combustion Efficiency in Diesel–Natural Gas Dual-Fuel Low-Temperature Combustion Engines

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Bartolucci ◽  
Stefano Cordiner ◽  
Vincenzo Mulone ◽  
Sundar R. Krishnan ◽  
Kalyan K. Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Combustion Efficiency ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Pilot Injection ◽  
Low Temperature Combustion ◽  
Single Cylinder ◽  
Temperature Combustion ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Dual-fuel diesel–methane low-temperature combustion (LTC) has been investigated by various research groups, showing high potential for emissions reduction (especially oxides of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM)) without adversely affecting fuel conversion efficiency in comparison with conventional diesel combustion. However, when operated at low load conditions, dual-fuel LTC typically exhibits poor combustion efficiencies. This behavior is mainly due to low bulk gas temperatures under lean conditions, resulting in unacceptably high carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) emissions. A feasible and rather innovative solution may be to split the pilot injection of liquid fuel into two injection pulses, with the second pilot injection supporting CO and UHC oxidation once combustion is initiated by the first one. In this study, diesel–methane dual-fuel LTC is investigated numerically in a single-cylinder heavy-duty engine operating at 5 bar brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) at 85% and 75% percentage of energy substitution (PES) by methane (taken as a natural gas (NG) surrogate). A multidimensional model is first validated in comparison with the experimental data obtained on the same single-cylinder engine for early single pilot diesel injection at 310 crank angle degrees (CAD) and 500 bar rail pressure. With the single pilot injection case as baseline, the effects of multiple pilot injections and different rail pressures on combustion and emissions are investigated, again showing good agreement with the experimental data. Apparent heat release rate and cylinder pressure histories as well as combustion efficiency trends are correctly captured by the numerical model. Results prove that higher rail pressures yield reductions of HC and CO by 90% and 75%, respectively, at the expense of NOx emissions, which increase by ∼30% from baseline still remaining at very low level (under 1 g/kWh). Furthermore, it is shown that postinjection during the expansion stroke does not support the stable development of the combustion front as the combustion process is confined close to the diesel spray core.

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