DME
[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
Dimethoxymethane (DMM)/Diesel Blends as a Low-Cost Approach for Emissions Control
November 17, 2008
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| Relationship between NOx and smoke of the DMM blends under one set of speed and load conditions. Click to enlarge. Credit: ACS |
Researchers at Xi’an Jiaotong University in China have investigated the combustion, performance, and emissions of a direct-injection (DI) diesel engine fueled with dimethoxymethane (DMM)/diesel blends, with DMM content ranging from 0 to 50%.
Their results showed that, with no changes to the fuel injection system or modifications to the engine, smoke and CO emissions decrease and NOx remains almost unchanged, while hydrocarbons (HCs) increase. Brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) is higher (DMM has a smaller lower heating value than diesel), while thermal efficiency increases a little. A diesel engine fueled with a 30% DMM blend can deliver both satisfactory fuel efficiency and emissions levels, they conclude. A report on their study was published online 14 November in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels.
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BioDME Projects Begins, Chemrec to Build BioDME Plant
September 09, 2008
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| Principal units of Chemrec’s oxygen-blown, pressurized black liquor gasification development plant 1 (DP1) in Piteå, Sweden. Click to enlarge. |
The European project BioDME has begun, with the first project meeting held today at Chemrec’s plant in Piteå, Sweden. The goal of BioDME is to demonstrate production of environmentally optimized synthetic biofuel from lignocellulosic biomass at industrial scale. The final output of this demonstration is dimethyl ether (DME) produced from black liquor via gasification and a final fuel synthesis step.
Project partners include Chemrec; Delphi Diesel Systems; Energy Technology Centre (ETC); Haldor Topsøe; PREEM Petroleum; Total; and the Volvo Group, which is the coordinator for the project.
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Volvo to Field Test 14 Trucks with Third-Generation, 13-Liter DME Engines
July 09, 2008
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| Field trials involving fourteen dimethyl ether (DME)-powered Volvo trucks will begin in the next 18 months. |
Volvo companies Volvo Powertrain, 3P and Volvo Technology will field test 14 trucks equipped with Volvo’s third-generation, 13-liter DME-fueled (dimethyl ether) engines in Sweden beginning in late 2009 to early 2010 as part of a project owned by Volvo Powertrain and funded by the Swedish Energy Agency and the European 7th framework program. (Earlier post.)
The tests are part of a wider €28.5 million (US$45 million) European project which covers the entire technology chain from biomass to fuel and also includes distribution and fuel stations for DME, a fuel produced through the gasification of biomass or raw fossil materials. The gas that is formed, synthesis gas, is then catalyzed to produce DME.
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Researchers Propose New Combustion System For DME Engine: CCCI
May 08, 2008
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| Comparison of fuel consumption and emissions with a variation of CO2 in the air charge in CCCI combustion. Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China are developing a new combustion system for an engine fueled with dimethyl ether (DME): compound charge compression ignition (CCCI). The CCCI combustion process consists of HCCI (homogeneous charge compression ignition) combustion, premixing combustion, and diffusion combustion. The combustion characteristics are mainly decided by the premixed fuel ratio and CO2 concentration in the air charge.
In comparison to HCCI combustion mode for DME, CCCI combustion can extend the operating range with accompanying low NOx, hydrocarbon (HC), and CO emissions. They report on their work in the journal Energy & Fuels.
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Swedish Energy Agency Grants Volvo $2.1M for Heavy-Duty Vehicle DME Field Tests
April 02, 2008
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| DME produced from biomass offers the most cost-effective avoidance of CO2 of transportation fuels under consideration, according to Volvo. (Data shown is for light-duty vehicles.) Click to enlarge. |
The Swedish Energy Agency has granted AB Volvo SEK 12.8 million (US$2.1 million) in support for field testing of the third-generation DME (dimethyl ether) technology for heavy-duty vehicles. The field tests with the 14 trucks is part of a project comprising demonstration of the entire technology chain, from biomass to fuel in the trucks and also includes distribution and tanking stations for DME. The first trucks are scheduled to be placed in traffic at the end of 2009.
In June 2006, the Swedish Energy Agency granted AB Volvo SEK 62 million (US$10.3 million) in support for development of third-generation DME technology. (Earlier post.) It is this technology that will be tested in the field trials. AB Volvo is also investing in the projects.
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UOP and USC to Partner on Converting CO2 to Methanol or DME for Fuel
December 11, 2007
UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, and the University of Southern California’s (USC) Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute will partner to develop and commercialize new technology to transform carbon dioxide into cleaner-burning alternative fuels.
USC has developed fundamental chemistry to transform carbon dioxide to methanol or dimethyl ether. The agreement grants UOP exclusive access rights for commercialization of technology and intellectual property developed by USC researchers for production of methanol, dimethyl ether and other chemicals from carbon dioxide. UOP and USC will jointly work on development for a commercially viable process.
