Third party funded individual grant
Start date : 01.01.2019
End date : 31.12.2021
This collaboration project will conduct fundamental investigation on dual-fuel engines with different fuel combinations (port injection: natural gas or methanol, direct injection: e-fuels like dimethyl ether or polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers). This project aims to reveal the in-cylinder mixing mechanism of different dual-fuel combinations, identify the effects of ambient conditions on the ignition limits of different dual-fuel mixtures, and clarify formation and quantity of combustion intermediate products at typical and extreme conditions. This research is also expected to develop methodologies for controllable ignition and combustion in dual-fuel engines and clarify the effects of engine intake and fuel supply strategies on their operation limits and combustion stability. Also, the collaboration is to analyze the energy conversion and distribution in the dual-fuel engine operation, and further provide a fuel efficiency optimization method in dual-fuel engines. Finally, reduction strategies for gaseous emissions and particulate number emissions of these low-carbon dual-fuel engines are to be studied and optimization strategies for efficiency improvement and emissions reduction are to be proposed.
Diesel engines are widely used as power devices in commercial vehicles, engineering and agricultural machineries. However, recent social trends as well as the stringent emissions legislations referring to diesel engines are able to precipitate legislative actions for the partial substitution of diesel by cleaner fuels in the imminent future. China and Germany are both the primary countries of automobile production and sales, and have both joined the Paris Agreement to cope with the global climate change. Th erefore, both countries have the same demand in energy saving and emissions reduction in the transportation field, and the development of high efficiency and clean diesel engine combustion concept s , e.g. dual fuel compression ignition engines, is in line w ith their national strategies. The combustion process in the so called dual fuel engines refers to the compression ignition of the direct ly injected fuel in a premixed gaseous or liquid fuel/air environment. The underlying cause is that in a dual fuel combustion, most of the direct ly injected fuel is burned in the premixed combustion regime and soot formation from the diffusive burn could be significantly reduced. Furthermore, depending on the carbon content of the premixed and directly injected fuel, the d ual fuel operation mode can lead to significant decrease in carbon dioxide emission. The proposed joint research in this project will exploit the complementary facilities and expertise of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen Nuremberg (FAU) for the development
and optimization of dual fuel engines with low carbon fuels such as natural gas, methanol, dimethyl ether and polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers. Based on the scientific problems to be addressed and techni ques to be used, FAU will focus on the characterization of the fuel injection , mixing and ignition processes in the dual fuel regime using an in house designed constant volume vessels which is able to provide an ultra high temperature and pressure
environment. T he findings will provide scientific and technical guidance for the development of controllable ignition and highly efficient low emissions combustion strategies for dual fuel engines, which will be conducted by the SJTU team. Additionally, the colla boration between SJTU and FAU will offer a unique training platform for PhD students and early career researchers from both sides. This unique training experience will equip them with skills, knowledge and international vision, contributing to their future careers and also enabling them to
propose possible solutions to global problems in the future.