Preem Opens BioDME Filling Station in Stockholm, 5 Volvo DME Trucks Enter Operation as Part of 2-Year BioDME Field Test
16 September 2010
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| Volvo FH with a 13-liter engine that runs on DME. Click to enlarge. |
Swedish oil company and distributor Preem recently inaugurated a BioDME filling station in Stockholm, and the first five Volvo DME (dimethyl ether) trucks (earlier post) in commercial operation have taken to the road in a two-year field test in Sweden. The test aims to demonstrate the potential for large-scale investment in DME produced from biomass.
The project encompasses the entire technical chain from biomass to fuel, i.e. distribution, filling stations, trucks and haulage firms. Volvo Trucks’ contribution to the project consists of FH DME trucks that will be tested by selected customers in different parts of Sweden.
Volvo’s DME truck uses a 440 hp (328 kW), Euro 5 D13 engine which with some modifications to the tank system, injection system and engine management software. DME is filled in liquid form and stored in pressurized tanks in a leak-proof system. The lower energy content of DME, just over half that of diesel oil, is compensated by fitting larger tanks.
A special fuel pump regulates the pressure in the common rail injection system; the pressure keeps the fuel in liquid form all the way to injection. Special DME injectors have been jointly developed by Volvo and Delphi.
The moving parts in the engine are identical to those in the diesel variant. The engine management software has been modified to suit the different energy content.
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| Chemrec black liquor gasification. Click to enlarge. |
Production of Bio-DME will take place in Chemrec’s new plant in Piteå. (Earlier post.) The patented Chemrec process is based on high-temperature, entrained flow gasification of black liquor producing high quality syngas—the feedstock for a number of biofuels. The Volvo Group, via its subsidiary Volvo Technology Transfer, is one of the owners of Chemrec.
This autumn, Preem will open additional filling stations in Göteborg, Jönköping and Piteå. In parallel, production of Bio-DME will be ramped up at the Chemrec plant in Piteå.
The haulage companies initially participating in the field test are Green Cargo, DHL, Posten Logistik and Volvo Logistics via J-Trans.
From an over-riding perspective, Bio-DME is one of the most promising second-generation biofuels. It provides both high energy efficiency and extremely low emissions of greenhouse gases. These are the properties we value particularly highly when we analyse potential alternative fuels.
—Volvo Trucks’ Environmental Director Lars Mårtensson
Evaluation of the field test and the authorities’ long-term decisions will determine whether large-scale production of Bio-DME will become a reality. In the EU the assessment is that Bio-DME could theoretically replace half of today’s diesel usage for heavy commercial transportation by 2030.
When powering a diesel engine, Bio-DME delivers as high an efficiency rating and a lower noise level compared with traditional engines. Compared with diesel, Bio-DME produces no less than 95% less carbon dioxide emissions; the combustion process also produces very low emissions of particles and nitrogen oxides.
DME is a gas, but it is transformed into liquid form at a pressure of just 5 bar. Handling is similar to that of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). DME can be produced both from natural gas and from various types of biomass. When it is made from biomass, it is known as Bio-DME.
In this project the Bio-DME is produced from black liquor, an energy-rich, viscous by-product of the pulp industry. Chemrec’ pilot plant in Piteå has the capacity to produce four tonnes of Bio-DME a day.
This project is financed by EU’s Seventh Framework Programme, the Swedish Energy Agency and participating companies.
I don't see any costs mentioned, but "In the EU the assessment is that Bio-DME could theoretically replace half of today’s diesel usage for heavy commercial transportation by 2030." has merit.
Posted by: kelly | 16 September 2010 at 09:22 AM
DME will work fine. Once they show this yet again, they might actually get on with using it on a large scale...finally.
Posted by: SJC | 16 September 2010 at 09:48 AM
kelly
In the largest biofuel project completed in the EU so far, the RENEW project (link below), it was found that Bio-DME from black liquor was the most cost-effective of all biofuel options. I hope that this answers your question.
Note that this is a small demo project and not a full-scale commercial plant, so cost on this scale is, of course, high. Hopefully, this development will lead to a commercialization in the future.
Governments should increase their R&D funding to speed up the process of introducing fuels that has potential to substitute a large share of gasoline and diesel (e.g. DME) rather than spending most of their money on niche fuels with limited future potential, such as e.g. ethanol, biogas and biodiesel.
http://www.renew-fuel.com/
Posted by: Peter_XX | 16 September 2010 at 09:53 AM
One source or feedstock for DME is black liquor the liquid waste stream from pulp and paper industries.
There is much sound reason to place a higher value on toxic waste treatment to fuel. This is one example.
Others include municipal waste to bio diesel,(etc)methane/ GTL, algal filtration methods that will remove nutrient from water.
Maybe even nuclear from coal generator's fly ash.
I'd really like to believe that the nuclear fuel and power industries were up to that task.
Posted by: Arnold | 17 September 2010 at 02:39 AM
the black liquor is transformed into syngas. any carbon-source can be transformed to syngas, so the potential for waste-to-DME or biomass-to-DME is enormous.
Posted by: Alain | 17 September 2010 at 10:57 AM
Surely using black liquor is not very clever. While other sources may be available, most comes from the pulping industry where the liquor is then burned to make the mill almost self sustainable (after excess water is removed). In America alone this burning contributes more carbon neutral energy than solar, wind and geothermal combined.
Posted by: Donough Shanahan | 20 September 2010 at 07:24 AM
Donough,
Maybe - Even smarter to use at the mill, but the article really only states that it is the most economical, not necessarily the answer to finding suitable bio fuel feedstock more generally.
However If there are electricity substitutes wind, solar, hydro, other or from over production or 'off peak', then these alternatives could be substituted at the mill.
Then the gasifiers can 'bottle the output' for sale as a high grade energy source to outside customers.
Posted by: Arnold | 20 September 2010 at 07:29 PM