Numerical analysis of the combustion process of oxymethylene ethers as low-carbon fuels for compression ignition engines

Mitigation of the carbon footprint of internal combustion engines is mandatory to ensure a future for this technology. Within this scope, e-fuels are considered a potential solution to replace conventional fossil fuels. However, in some cases, their physical and chemical properties are so different that its application in conventional engines is complex. For this reason, this work focuses on the study of oxymethylene ethers (OMEX) as a potential low-carbon fuel alternative. The aim is to improve the understanding of the combustion process of these e-fuels when they replace fossil Diesel in internal combustion engines under equivalent operating conditions. To achieve this objective, a computational fluid dynamics model of an optical compression ignition engine has been developed. The operating conditions chosen are representative of a medium load point of the engine, which coincide with experimental work previously done on this platform. n-Heptane was used as surrogate of fossil Diesel while OMEX was simulated as a simpler mixture of oxymethylene ether molecules. Results show remarkable differences between Diesel and OMEX. This fuel provides lower equivalence ratio fields. Thus, oxidation reactions are promoted in wider areas within the combustion chamber, leading to a faster combustion process. Besides, the soot formation is also drastically decreased in comparison to the other fuel. These results have been corroborated with experimental information.

Automated summary

This study focuses on the combustion process of oxymethylene ethers (OMEX) as a potential low-carbon fuel alternative. The computational fluid dynamics model shows that OMEX promotes faster combustion and reduces soot formation compared to conventional Diesel.