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William F. Northrop - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Hydrous Ethanol Steam Reforming and Thermochemical Recuperation to Improve Dual-Fuel Diesel Engine Emissions and Efficiency
Journal of Energy Resources Technology, 2019Co-Authors: Jeffrey T. Hwang, Seamus P. Kane, William F. NorthropAbstract:Dual-fuel strategies can enable replacement of diesel fuel with low reactivity biofuels like Hydrous Ethanol. Previous work has shown that dual-fuel strategies using port injection of Hydrous Ethanol can replace up to 60% of diesel fuel on an energy basis. However, they yield negligible benefits in NOX emissions, soot emissions, and brake thermal efficiency (BTE) over conventional single fuel diesel operation. Pretreatment of Hydrous Ethanol through steam reforming before mixing with intake air offers the potential to both increase BTE and decrease soot and NOX emissions. Steam reforming can upgrade the heating value of the secondary fuel through thermochemical recuperation (TCR) and produces inert gases to act as a diluent similar to exhaust gas recirculation. This study experimentally investigated a novel thermally integrated steam reforming TCR reactor that uses sensible and chemical energy in the exhaust to provide the necessary heat for Hydrous Ethanol steam reforming. An off-highway diesel engine was operated at three speed and load settings with varying Hydrous Ethanol flow rates reaching fumigant energy fractions of up to 70%. The engine achieved soot reductions of close to 90% and minor NOX reductions; however, carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbon emissions increased. A first law energy balance using the experimental data shows that the developed TCR system effectively upgraded the heating value of the secondary fuel. Overall, Hydrous Ethanol steam reforming using TCR can lead to 23% increase in fuel heating value at 100% conversion, a limit approached in the conducted experiments.
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Hydrous Ethanol Steam Reforming and Thermochemical Recuperation to Improve Dual-Fuel Diesel Engine Emissions and Efficiency
Volume 1: Large Bore Engines; Fuels; Advanced Combustion, 2018Co-Authors: Jeffrey T. Hwang, Seamus P. Kane, William F. NorthropAbstract:Dual-fuel strategies can enable replacement of diesel fuel with low reactivity biofuels like Hydrous Ethanol. Our previous work has shown that dual-fuel strategies using port injection of Hydrous Ethanol can replace up to 60% of diesel fuel on an energy basis. However, they yield negligible benefits in NOx emissions, soot emissions, and brake thermal efficiency (BTE) over conventional single fuel diesel operation. Pretreatment of Hydrous Ethanol through steam reforming before mixing with intake air offers the potential to both increase BTE and decrease soot and NOx emissions. Steam reforming can upgrade the heating value of the secondary fuel through thermochemical recuperation (TCR) and produces inert gases to act as a diluent similar to exhaust gas recirculation. This study experimentally investigated a novel thermally integrated steam reforming reactor that uses sensible and chemical energy in the exhaust to provide the necessary heat for Hydrous Ethanol steam reforming. An off-highway diesel engine was operated at three speed and load settings with varying Hydrous Ethanol flow rates reaching fumigant energy fractions of up to 70%. The engine achieved soot reductions of close to 90% and minor NOx reductions; however, carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbon emissions increased. A first law energy balance using the experimental data shows that efficient TCR effectively upgraded the heating value of the secondary fuel. Overall, Hydrous Ethanol steam reforming using TCR can lead to 23% increase in fuel heating value at 100% conversion, a limit approached in the conducted experiments.
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Efficacy of add-on Hydrous Ethanol dual fuel systems to reduce nox emissions from diesel engines
ASME 2016 Internal Combustion Engine Division Fall Technical Conference, 2016Co-Authors: Jeffrey T. Hwang, Alex J. Nord, William F. NorthropAbstract:Aftermarket dual-fuel injection systems using a variety of different fumigants have been proposed as alternatives to expensive after-treatment to control NOX emissions from legacy diesel engines. However, our previous work has shown that available add-on systems using Hydrous Ethanol as the fumigant achieve only minor benefits in emissions without recalibration of the diesel fuel injection strategy. This study experimentally re-evaluates a novel aftermarket dual-fuel port fuel injection (PFI) system used in our previous work, with the addition of higher flow injectors to increase the fumigant energy fraction (FEF), defined as the ratio of energy provided by the Hydrous Ethanol on a lower heating value (LHV) basis to overall fuel energy. Results of this study confirm our earlier findings that as FEF increases, NO emissions decrease, while NO2 and unburned Ethanol emissions increase, leading to no change in overall NOX. Peak cylinder pressure and apparent rates of heat release are not strongly dependent on FEF, indicating that in-cylinder NO formation rates by the Zel’dovich mechanism remains the same. Through single zone modeling, we show the feasibility of in-cylinder NO conversion to NO2 aided by unburned Ethanol. The modeling results indicate that NO to NO2 conversion occurs during the early expansion stroke where bulk gases have temperature in the range of 1150–1250 K. This work conclusively proves that aftermarket dual fuel systems for fixed calibration diesel engines cannot reduce NOX emissions without lowering peak temperature during diffusive combustion responsible for forming NO in the first place.
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Emissions From a Diesel Engine Operating in a Dual-Fuel Mode Using Port-Fuel Injection of Heated Hydrous Ethanol
Journal of Energy Resources Technology, 2016Co-Authors: Alex J. Nord, Jeffrey T. Hwang, William F. NorthropAbstract:Aftermarket dual-fuel injection systems in diesel engines using Hydrous Ethanol as secondary fuel have been developed as a means to lower emissions from older diesel-powered equipment. However, our previous work has shown that the emissions benefits of currently available aftermarket intake fumigation injection systems can be inconsistent with manufacturer claims. Our current study evaluates a newly developed aftermarket dual-fuel system that incorporates a fuel heating system and port fuel injection (PFI). This paper describes an experimental investigation of engine-out emissions from a John Deere 4045HF475 Tier 2 engine with port injection of 180 proof (90% Ethanol by volume) Hydrous Ethanol. The engine was retrofitted with a custom fuel heat exchanger to heat the Hydrous Ethanol to a range of 46–79 °C for helping to improve fuel vaporization in the intake port. PFI duration was controlled using engine speed and throttle position as inputs to achieve a desired fumigant energy fraction (FEF), defined as the amount of energy provided by the Hydrous Ethanol based on lower heating value (LHV) over the total fuel energy provided to the engine. Data was collected over a range of FEF with direct injected diesel for eight operating modes comparing heated versus unheated Hydrous Ethanol. Results of the study indicate that as FEF increases, NO emissions decrease, while NO2, CO, THC, and unburned Ethanol emissions increase. In addition, it was found that preheating the Ethanol using engine coolant prior to injection has little benefit on engine-out emissions. The work shows that the implemented aftermarket dual-fuel PFI system can achieve FEF rates up to 37% at low engine load while yielding modest benefits in emissions.
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Emissions From a Diesel Engine Operating in a Dual-Fuel Mode Using Port-Fuel Injection of Heated Hydrous Ethanol
Volume 1: Large Bore Engines; Fuels; Advanced Combustion, 2015Co-Authors: Alex J. Nord, Jeffrey T. Hwang, William F. NorthropAbstract:Aftermarket dual-fuel injection systems in diesel engines using Hydrous Ethanol have been developed as a means to lower emissions from older diesel-powered equipment. However, our previous work has shown that the emissions benefits of currently available aftermarket intake fumigation injection systems can be inconsistent with manufacturer claims. Our current study evaluates a newly developed aftermarket dual fuel system that incorporates a novel fuel heating system and port fuel injection (PFI). This paper describes an experimental investigation of engine-out emissions from a John Deere 4045HF475 Tier 2 engine with port injection of 180 proof (90% Ethanol by volume) Hydrous Ethanol. The engine was retrofitted with a custom fuel heat exchanger to heat the Hydrous Ethanol to a range of 46–79°C for helping to improve fuel vaporization in the intake port. PFI duration was controlled using engine speed and throttle position as inputs to achieve a desired fumigant energy fraction (FEF), defined as the amount of energy provided by the Hydrous Ethanol based on lower heating value (LHV) over the total fuel energy provided to the engine. Data was collected over a range of FEF with direct injected diesel for eight operating modes comparing heated versus unheated Hydrous Ethanol. Results of the study indicate that as FEF increases, NO emissions decrease, while NO2, CO, THC, and Ethanol emissions increase. In addition, it was found that preheating the Ethanol using engine coolant prior to injection has little benefit on engine-out emissions. The work shows that the implemented aftermarket dual-fuel PFI system can achieve FEF rates up to 37% at low engine load while yielding modest benefits in emissions.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Xiaohong Gao - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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A novel strategy for Hydrous-Ethanol utilization: Demonstration of a spark-ignition engine fueled with hydrogen-rich fuel from an onboard Ethanol/steam reformer
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2013Co-Authors: Zunhua Zhang, Fu Bing You, Xin Tang Zhang, Zhi Xiang Pan, Jian Dong, Xiaohong GaoAbstract:Abstract In this paper, an onboard reformer and a dual-fuel (Hydrous-Ethanol and gasoline) supply system were designed to examine experimentally the reforming performance of Hydrous-Ethanol for an on-line, operating engine, and a series of optimization and comparison experiments were conducted. The results show that HE75 (75% Hydrous-Ethanol, i.e., Ethanol with 25% water volume content) conversion first increases and later decreases with the temperature and reaches its peak at a temperature of approximately 675 K. The effects of the flow rate and temperature on the product distribution are minimal. Compared to the prototype gasoline-fueled engine, the average decreases of the equivalent specific fuel consumption, NO x emissions, CO emission and total hydrocarbon emissions for the optimized engine fueled with hydrogen-rich reformates are 6%, 70%, 50% and 80%, respectively. This preliminary experiment suggests that the utilization of Hydrous, rather than anHydrous, Ethanol in a spark ignition engine by the onboard steam reforming of Ethanol may represent a sustainable alternative energy source.
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experimental determination of laminar burning velocities and markstein lengths for 75 Hydrous Ethanol hydrogen and air gaseous mixtures
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2011Co-Authors: Zunhua Zhang, Fu Bing You, Zhi Xiang Pan, Lin Ouyang, Xiaohong GaoAbstract:Abstract Hydrogen-rich mixtures generated by the on-board reforming of biomass-derived Hydrous-Ethanol can be used as a potential alternative fuel (i.e., reformed Ethanol fuel, RE fuel). In this paper, outwardly propagating spherical flames were employed to observe the laminar flame characteristics of the gaseous mixtures composed of simulated RE fuel (mixture of 75% Hydrous-Ethanol and hydrogen) and air in a constant-volume combustion vessel at an initial temperature of 383 K, a pressure of 0.1 MPa, a hydrogen fraction from 0% to 80%, and an equivalence ratio from 0.6 to 1.6. The results show that the unstretched flame propagation speeds and burning velocities increase with increasing hydrogen fraction, especially when the fraction is above 40%. When the hydrogen fraction is less than 40%, the Markstein length and flame instability decrease and increase with the equivalence ratio, respectively, while the reverse holds when the hydrogen fraction is greater than 40%. At an equivalence ratio below 1.4, the Markstein length decreases with increasing hydrogen fraction, indicating a positive correlation between the flame instability and hydrogen fraction. At an equivalence ratio above 1.4, a negative relationship is observed. Finally, it is concluded that a hydrogen fraction of approximately 40% in simulated RE fuel is feasible for spark ignition engines by comparing the laminar burning characteristics of Ethanol–air mixtures.
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Experimental determination of laminar burning velocities and Markstein lengths for 75% Hydrous-Ethanol, hydrogen and air gaseous mixtures
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2011Co-Authors: Zunhua Zhang, Fu Bing You, Zhi Xiang Pan, Lin Ouyang, Xiaohong GaoAbstract:Abstract Hydrogen-rich mixtures generated by the on-board reforming of biomass-derived Hydrous-Ethanol can be used as a potential alternative fuel (i.e., reformed Ethanol fuel, RE fuel). In this paper, outwardly propagating spherical flames were employed to observe the laminar flame characteristics of the gaseous mixtures composed of simulated RE fuel (mixture of 75% Hydrous-Ethanol and hydrogen) and air in a constant-volume combustion vessel at an initial temperature of 383 K, a pressure of 0.1 MPa, a hydrogen fraction from 0% to 80%, and an equivalence ratio from 0.6 to 1.6. The results show that the unstretched flame propagation speeds and burning velocities increase with increasing hydrogen fraction, especially when the fraction is above 40%. When the hydrogen fraction is less than 40%, the Markstein length and flame instability decrease and increase with the equivalence ratio, respectively, while the reverse holds when the hydrogen fraction is greater than 40%. At an equivalence ratio below 1.4, the Markstein length decreases with increasing hydrogen fraction, indicating a positive correlation between the flame instability and hydrogen fraction. At an equivalence ratio above 1.4, a negative relationship is observed. Finally, it is concluded that a hydrogen fraction of approximately 40% in simulated RE fuel is feasible for spark ignition engines by comparing the laminar burning characteristics of Ethanol–air mixtures.
Shichun Yang - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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miscibility of ternary systems containing kerosene based surrogate fuel and Hydrous Ethanol experimental data thermodynamic modeling
Fluid Phase Equilibria, 2014Co-Authors: Longfei Chen, Penghao Sun, Shuiting Ding, Shichun YangAbstract:Abstract Limited miscibility may be a major concern for the use of Ethanol in jet fuels particularly when water is present. Herein miscibility data were obtained for mixtures composed of a kerosene-based surrogate fuel (80% n-decane and 20% 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene by mass), Ethanol and water in varying percentages at −1.7 °C, 11.4 °C, 25 °C and 66 °C. The results indicated that the purity requirement of Hydrous Ethanol increased with the surrogate fuel percentage. The purity requirement increased when the temperature decreased. The upper limit for water tolerance was largely above the azeotropic value (4.4% water content) at 25 °C and 66 °C, which indicated that the blends can be miscible at room temperature and above even though water content is higher than the azeotrope concentration. In addition, emulsifier, in the low percent range (below 2% by volume), was shown to have notable effects on the phase behavior of the ternary mixtures. Liquid–liquid equilibrium (LLE) experimental data at 101.32 kPa were compared with simulation results by means of the UNIFAC-LLE model, which provided satisfactory results with moderate deviation from experimental data. A Matlab-based program was developed to determine the compositions of individual phases for any initial mixtures with known compositions.
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Miscibility of ternary systems containing kerosene-based surrogate fuel and Hydrous Ethanol: Experimental data + thermodynamic modeling
Fluid Phase Equilibria, 2014Co-Authors: Longfei Chen, Penghao Sun, Shuiting Ding, Shichun YangAbstract:Abstract Limited miscibility may be a major concern for the use of Ethanol in jet fuels particularly when water is present. Herein miscibility data were obtained for mixtures composed of a kerosene-based surrogate fuel (80% n-decane and 20% 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene by mass), Ethanol and water in varying percentages at −1.7 °C, 11.4 °C, 25 °C and 66 °C. The results indicated that the purity requirement of Hydrous Ethanol increased with the surrogate fuel percentage. The purity requirement increased when the temperature decreased. The upper limit for water tolerance was largely above the azeotropic value (4.4% water content) at 25 °C and 66 °C, which indicated that the blends can be miscible at room temperature and above even though water content is higher than the azeotrope concentration. In addition, emulsifier, in the low percent range (below 2% by volume), was shown to have notable effects on the phase behavior of the ternary mixtures. Liquid–liquid equilibrium (LLE) experimental data at 101.32 kPa were compared with simulation results by means of the UNIFAC-LLE model, which provided satisfactory results with moderate deviation from experimental data. A Matlab-based program was developed to determine the compositions of individual phases for any initial mixtures with known compositions.
Roberto Berlini Rodrigues Da Costa - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Development of a homogeneous charge pre-chamber torch ignition system for an SI engine fuelled with Hydrous Ethanol
Applied Thermal Engineering, 2019Co-Authors: Roberto Berlini Rodrigues Da Costa, Alysson Fernandes Teixeira, Fernando Antonio Rodrigues Filho, Fabrício José Pacheco Pujatti, Christian J.r. Coronado, Juan J. Hernández, Electo Eduardo Silva LoraAbstract:Abstract Energy is the key to wellbeing and sustainability of modern civilization and its demand continues to increase. With the end of oil availability perspectives and the world energy crisis, technological solutions are needed from the scientific community to promote the reduction of fossil fuel consumption, the maximization of fuel conversion efficiency and the reduction of emission levels in internal combustion engines. Aiming at reaching these needs, the use of a pre-chamber ignition system in spark-ignition (SI) engines is a potential alternative enabling such engines to operate with lean mixtures and with a wide variety of fuels. In this study, a methodology was developed to design and characterize experimentally a homogeneous charge pre-chamber torch ignition system fuelled with Hydrous Ethanol (with 6–7% in mass of water content) and using lean burn mixtures (excess air ratio (λ) > 1.0). The methodology, which has not been reported previously in other works, consisted of a one-dimensional mathematical model, that allowed for the definition of pre-chamber geometrical parameters. The device was manufactured and adapted to an SI engine, requiring no additional work to the cylinder head, as the pre-chamber was mounted in the original spark-plug screw thread. The prototype was experimentally characterized on an active dynamometer, and performance, combustion, emission and combustion visualization were studied. The pre-chamber ignition engine expanded the flammability limit in comparison with the baseline engine. For λ = 1.4, engine fuel conversion efficiency was increased by 5.4%, specific fuel consumption decreased by 22% and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions reduced by 52%, but total hydrocarbons (THC) emissions increased. Improvements achieved were due to the faster burn rates characterized by the reduced MBF 0–10%, combustion duration and combustion instability, and also the increased thermodynamic efficiency and the lower combustion temperatures achieved with lean burn technology. From the conclusions obtained in this research, the homogeneous pre-chamber torch ignition system developed for Hydrous Ethanol has potential for application and marketability integration, as an alternative technology able to help meet energy demands in a sustainable manner.
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Combustion, performance and emission analysis of a natural gas-Hydrous Ethanol dual-fuel spark ignition engine with internal exhaust gas recirculation
Energy Conversion and Management, 2019Co-Authors: Roberto Berlini Rodrigues Da Costa, Alysson Fernandes Teixeira, Juan J. Hernández, Nilton Antonio Diniz Netto, Ramon Molina Valle, Vinícius Rückert Roso, Christian J.r. CoronadoAbstract:Abstract This manuscript presents a deep analysis of natural gas-Hydrous Ethanol dual-fuel combustion in a spark ignition engine with a modified compression ratio and an advanced intake valve opening strategy to promote internal exhaust gas recirculation (iEGR). Both fuels were port-fuel injected and two different liquid fuel replacements by compressed natural gas (CNG) were tested (18 and 45% by energy). Combustion, performance and pollutant emissions were investigated under stoichiometric air-fuel conditions at 4 bar of net indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) and 1800 rpm. Results show that dual-fuel mode improves fuel conversion efficiency when compared to CNG-only operation, due to lower carbon monoxide (CO) and unburnt hydrocarbons (HCs) emissions as well as to a better combustion phasing. The use of iEGR, despite deteriorating the combustion process as expected (ignition delay, combustion duration and combustion stability), improves efficiency because of a decrease in pumping losses and wall heat transfer, as well as pollutant emissions reduction. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions increase with dual-fuel operation. However, the influence of iEGR was found to be more significant under dual-fuel mode than under single-fuel operation, with NOx reductions of up to 70% and fuel conversion efficiency improvements of around 2.5%.
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Research on Hydrous Ethanol stratified lean burn combustion in a DI spark-ignition engine
Applied Thermal Engineering, 2018Co-Authors: Roberto Berlini Rodrigues Da Costa, Alysson Fernandes Teixeira, Fernando Antonio Rodrigues Filho, Christian J.r. Coronado, Nilton Antonio Diniz NettoAbstract:Abstract Fulfilling emission restrictions is the most challenging task considering future engine development. Stratified lean burn combustion mode associated with the use of biofuels has been widely studied to overcome current and future environmental regulation and global weather concerns. Power modulation by means of a throttle valve increases the pumping mean effective pressure with a corresponding penalty in engine fuel consumption at part load. De-throttling by means of direct injection (DI) is an attractive way of improving fuel economy and exhaust emissions at low and part load operation in spark-ignition (SI) engines. In this research, a study has been made of the investigations concerning stratified lean burn combustion in a wall-air guided type SI single cylinder optical research engine (SCORE) using Brazilian Hydrous Ethanol (E100) as fuel. Experiments were conducted at a constant load of 3 bar of net indicated mean effective pressure (NIMEP), for a wide range of injection, ignition and mixture formation parameters. Engine fuel conversion efficiency, combustion characteristics and emissions were evaluated for each excess air ratio (λ). Optical visualization illustrated the spray behavior and flame propagation. Specific fuel consumption and engine fuel conversion efficiency achieved an improvement of 8.1% and 2.6%, respectively, for λ = 1.4. Engine-out specific emissions were reduced by 66% for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and by 20% for total hydrocarbon (THC) and carbon dioxide (CO). A detailed combustion analysis based on in-cylinder pressure measurement was carried out and provided useful data for Ethanol direct injection engine development.
David B. Kittelson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Energy, carbon dioxide and water use implications of Hydrous Ethanol production
Energy Conversion and Management, 2015Co-Authors: Howard A. Saffy, William F. Northrop, David B. Kittelson, Adam M. BoiesAbstract:Abstract Sub-azeotropic Hydrous Ethanol has been demonstrated as an effective diesel fuel replacement when used in dual-fuel compression ignition engines. Previous studies have also suggested that Hydrous Ethanol may be more efficient to produce from corn than anHydrous Ethanol. In this study, we investigate corn Ethanol production from a dry-mill, natural gas-fired corn Ethanol refinery, producing Ethanol with a range of Ethanol concentrations from 58 wt% to 100 wt% to determine the effect on energy use, water consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the refining stage of the corn Ethanol lifecycle. A second law (exergy) analysis of anHydrous Ethanol refining revealed the overall process to be 70% efficient, whereby 86% of the exergy losses could be accounted for by three processes: fermentation (34%), steam generation (29%) and distiller’s grains and solubles drying (23%). We found that producing 86 wt% Ethanol is optimal as thermal energy consumption decreases by a maximum of 10% (from 7.7 MJ/L to 6.9 MJ/L). These savings have the potential to reduce energy costs by approximately 8% ($0.34/L) and reduce refinery emissions by 8% (2 g CO 2 e/MJ). Production of Hydrous Ethanol reduced refinery water use due to decreased evaporative losses in the cooling towers, leading to water savings of between 3% and 6% at 86 wt% Ethanol.
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Optimization of reactivity-controlled compression ignition combustion fueled with diesel and Hydrous Ethanol using response surface methodology
Fuel, 2015Co-Authors: Wei Fang, David B. Kittelson, William F. NorthropAbstract:AnHydrous Ethanol has been widely investigated as an alternative fuel for internal combustion engines. The use of high water content Hydrous Ethanol in engines has the potential to significantly improve life-cycle energy use and CO2 emissions of bio-Ethanol. Our previous work showed that dual-fuel reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) combustion is a promising combustion strategy replacing up to 80% of the total fuel energy with Hydrous Ethanol yielding simultaneously high thermal efficiency and low engine-out NOX and soot emissions. In this work, we use response surface methodology (RSM) to experimentally optimize several key engine engine-out emissions parameters at high and low engine load with data from a single-cylinder research engine. Efficient experimental designs were developed that allowed identification of statistically significant operating parameters for optimizing emissions. Following the optimization path generated by the RSM, NOX and soot emissions were reduced by 79% and 50% at the low load condition, and by 72% and 27% at the high load condition, compared to the starting points. Indicated thermal efficiency was compromised along the optimization path due to delayed combustion phasing for both load conditions. The study also shows that different operating parameters are significant for RCCI emissions at different engine loads. A trade-off between HC and CO emissions was observed at the lower load condition, while HC and CO were both lower after the optimization process at the higher load condition. Overall, this work shows that RSM can be effectively used to elucidate interactions among multiple engine operating parameters with reduced experimentation to optimize complex dual-fuel RCCI combustion modes.
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An Experimental Investigation of Reactivity-Controlled Compression Ignition Combustion in a Single-Cylinder Diesel Engine Using Hydrous Ethanol
Journal of Energy Resources Technology, 2014Co-Authors: Wei Fang, David B. Kittelson, Junhua Fang, William F. NorthropAbstract:Dual-fuel reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) combustion using port injection of a less reactive fuel and early-cycle direct injection (DI) of a more reactive fuel has been shown to yield both high thermal efficiency and low NOX and soot emissions over a wide engine operating range. Conventional and alternative fuels such as gasoline, natural gas, and E85 as the lower reactivity fuel in RCCI have been studied by many researchers; however, published experimental investigations of Hydrous Ethanol use in RCCI are scarce. Making greater use of Hydrous Ethanol in internal combustion engines has the potential to dramatically improve the economics and life cycle carbon dioxide emissions of using bioEthanol. In this work, an experimental investigation was conducted using 150 proof Hydrous Ethanol as the low reactivity fuel and commercially available diesel as the high reactivity fuel in an RCCI combustion mode at various load conditions. A modified single-cylinder diesel engine was used for the experiments. Based on previous studies on RCCI combustion by other researchers, early-cycle split-injection strategy of diesel fuel was used to create an in-cylinder fuel reactivity distribution to maintain high thermal efficiency and low NOX and soot emissions. At each load condition, timing and mass fraction of the first diesel injection was held constant, while timing of the second diesel injection was swept over a range where stable combustion could be maintained. Since Hydrous Ethanol is highly resistant to auto-ignition and has large heat of vaporization, intake air heating was needed to obtain stable operations of the engine. The study shows that 150 proof Hydrous Ethanol can be used as the low reactivity fuel in RCCI through 8.6 bar indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) and with Ethanol energy fraction up to 75% while achieving simultaneously low levels of NOX and soot emissions. With increasing engine load, less intake heating is needed and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is required to maintain low NOX emissions.
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An Experimental Investigation of Reactivity-Controlled Compression Ignition Combustion in a Single-Cylinder Diesel Engine Using Hydrous Ethanol
Volume 1: Large Bore Engines; Advanced Combustion; Emissions Control Systems; Instrumentation Controls and Hybrids, 2013Co-Authors: Wei Fang, William F. Northrop, David B. Kittelson, Junhua FangAbstract:Dual-fuel reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) combustion using port injection of a less reactive fuel and early-cycle direct injection of a more reactive fuel has been shown to yield both high thermal efficiency and low NOX and soot emissions over a wide engine operating range. Conventional and alternative fuels such as gasoline, natural gas and E85 as the lower reactivity fuel in RCCI have been studied by many researchers; however, published experimental investigations of Hydrous Ethanol use in RCCI are scarce. Making greater use of Hydrous Ethanol in internal combustion engines has the potential to dramatically improve the economics and life cycle carbon dioxide emissions of using bio-Ethanol. In this work, an experimental investigation was conducted using 150 proof Hydrous Ethanol as the low reactivity fuel and commercially-available diesel as the high reactivity fuel in an RCCI combustion mode at various load conditions. A modified single-cylinder diesel engine was used for the experiments. Based on previous studies on RCCI combustion by other researchers, early-cycle split-injection strategy of diesel fuel was used to create an in-cylinder fuel reactivity distribution to maintain high thermal efficiency and low NOX and soot emissions. At each load condition, timing and mass fraction of the first diesel injection was held constant, while timing of the second diesel injection was swept over a range where stable combustion could be maintained. Since Hydrous Ethanol is highly resistant to auto-ignition and has large heat of vaporization, intake air heating was needed to obtain stable operations of the engine. The study shows that 150 proof Hydrous Ethanol can be used as the low reactivity fuel in RCCI through 8.6 bar IMEP and with Ethanol energy fraction up to 75% while achieving simultaneously low levels of NOX and soot emissions. With increasing engine load, less intake heating is needed and EGR is required to maintain low NOX emissions. Future work will look at stability of Hydrous Ethanol RCCI at higher engine load.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
