Numerical and Experimental Investigations on the Ignition Behavior of OME

Frederik Wiesmann (), Lukas Strauß, Sebastian Rieß, Julien Manin, Kevin Wan and Thomas Lauer
Additional contact information
Frederik Wiesmann: Institute of Powertrains and Automotive Technology, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
Lukas Strauß: Institute of Fluid System Technology, FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Sebastian Rieß: Institute of Fluid System Technology, FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Julien Manin: Sandia National Laboratories, 7011 East Ave., Livermore, CA 94551, USA
Kevin Wan: Sandia National Laboratories, 7011 East Ave., Livermore, CA 94551, USA
Thomas Lauer: Institute of Powertrains and Automotive Technology, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-26

Abstract: On the path towards climate-neutral future mobility, the usage of synthetic fuels derived from renewable power sources, so-called e-fuels, will be necessary. Oxygenated e-fuels, which contain oxygen in their chemical structure, not only have the potential to realize a climate-neutral powertrain, but also to burn more cleanly in terms of soot formation. Polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers (PODE or OMEs) are a frequently discussed representative of such combustibles. However, to operate compression ignition engines with these fuels achieving maximum efficiency and minimum emissions, the physical-chemical behavior of OMEs needs to be understood and quantified. Especially the detailed characterization of physical and chemical properties of the spray is of utmost importance for the optimization of the injection and the mixture formation process. The presented work aimed to develop a comprehensive CFD model to specify the differences between OMEs and dodecane, which served as a reference diesel-like fuel, with regards to spray atomization, mixing and auto-ignition for single- and multi-injection patterns. The simulation results were validated against experimental data from a high-temperature and high-pressure combustion vessel. The sprays’ liquid and vapor phase penetration were measured with Mie-scattering and schlieren-imaging as well as diffuse back illumination and Rayleigh-scattering for both fuels. To characterize the ignition process and the flame propagation, measurements of the OH* chemiluminescence of the flame were carried out. Significant differences in the ignition behavior between OMEs and dodecane could be identified in both experiments and CFD simulations. Liquid penetration as well as flame lift-off length are shown to be consistently longer for OMEs. Zones of high reaction activity differ substantially for the two fuels: Along the spray center axis for OMEs and at the shear boundary layers of fuel and ambient air for dodecane. Additionally, the transient behavior of high temperature reactions for OME is predicted to be much faster.

Keywords: CFD; OME; e-Fuels; multi-injection; oxygenated fuels; spray modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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