MRI: Acquisition of a Rapid Compression Machine for Chemical Kinetic Studies on Biofuels

提案：0722780 PI：Anthony Marchese机构：罗文大学名称：磁共振成像：购买用于生物燃料化学动力学研究的快速压缩机生物柴油在减少柴油发动机的CO、HC、PM和温室气体排放、减少对石油进口的依赖以及为大豆等国内农产品开发新市场方面已被证明是非常有效的。不幸的是，许多研究也表明，生物柴油会导致氮氧化物排放量增加。由于发动机制造商和监管机构继续与来自移动的柴油源的NOx排放作斗争，因此与生物柴油相关的感知NOx惩罚有可能限制其广泛接受。绝大多数文献都集中在物理性质（体积模量，沸点，粘度等）的差异。生物柴油和石油柴油之间的增加生物柴油氮氧化物的机制。然而，越来越多的证据表明，生物柴油NOx的增加与生物柴油（即甲酯）与石油柴油相比化学氧化机制的根本差异有关。不幸的是，很少的工作已经做了开发详细的化学动力学机制长链甲酯，并评估为什么这些分子导致增加NOx和减少PM。更好地了解生物柴油的氮氧化物和烟尘的过程，将导致更清洁的燃烧可再生燃料的发展。知识价值这项重大研究仪器资助是购买一台快速压缩机（RCM），将用于生物燃料的基本化学动力学研究。RCM是一种设计用于模拟单个发动机循环的压缩冲程的仪器，允许在比实际发动机更可控的环境中研究自燃现象。RCM将与一种新型的快速响应NO/NO2分析仪集成，该分析仪将允许时间分辨的NOx测量和快速淬火系统，该系统将能够对燃烧产物和中间体进行复杂的气体分析。通过在RCM中对生物燃料（和替代燃料）进行实验，将有可能将对NOx和烟尘产生的化学动力学影响与实际柴油发动机中存在的各种其他过程隔离开来。此外，使用该系统获得的数据将是不可或缺的开发数据库所需的采用一个普遍接受的参考燃料的生物柴油，如油酸甲酯。发展一个致力于替代燃料研究的RCM能力，将有效地弥合对较小的生物柴油替代物的少数基本燃烧研究与难以分离污染物排放的潜在机制的大量发动机研究之间的差距。更广泛的影响环境散文家比尔·麦吉本正确地提出，全球变暖是人类面临的第一个文明规模的挑战。虽然没有单一的技术灵丹妙药来应对这一无所不在的挑战，但生物柴油等可再生燃料有可能在减少温室气体排放方面发挥重要作用，因为它们几乎是二氧化碳中性的。对所感知的生物柴油NOx问题的解决方案将导致发动机制造商和政府机构进一步广泛接受生物柴油，从而减少温室气体排放。减少柴油发动机的PM排放是一个同样重要的问题，可以通过使用生物柴油来解决。柴油PM已被世界卫生组织和美国环保局列为可能的人类致癌物，最近的研究将柴油PM与心脏病联系起来。

Proposal: 0722780PI: Anthony MarcheseInstitution: Rowan UniversityTitle: MRI: Acquisition of a Rapid Compression Machine for Chemical Kinetic Studies on BiofuelsBiodiesel has been shown to be highly effective in reducing CO, HC, PM and greenhouse gas emissions from diesel engines, decreasing dependence on petroleum imports and developing new markets for domestic agricultural products such as soybeans. Unfortunately, many research studies have also shown that biodiesel results in an increase in NOx emissions. The perceived NOx penalty associated with biodiesel threatens to limit its widespread acceptance since engine manufacturers and regulatory agencies continue to struggle with NOx emissions from mobile diesel sources. The vast majority of the literature has focused on differences in physical properties (bulk modulus, boiling point, viscosity, etc.) between biodiesel and petroleum diesel as the mechanism for increased biodiesel NOx. However, there is increasing evidence that biodiesel NOx increases are related to fundamentaldifferences in the chemical oxidation mechanism of biodiesel (i.e. methyl esters) in comparison to petroleum diesel. Unfortunately, very little work has been done to develop detailed chemical kinetic mechanisms for long chain methyl esters and to evaluate why these molecules result in increased NOxand decreased PM. A better understanding of biodiesel NOx and soot processes, will lead to the development of even cleaner burning renewable fuels.Intellectual MeritThis Major Research Instrumentation Grant is for the purchase of a rapid compression machine (RCM) that will be used for fundamental chemical kinetic studies on biofuels. An RCM is an instrument designed to simulate the compression stroke of a single engine cycle allowing auto-ignition phenomena to be studied in a much more controllable environment than that which is possible in an actual engine. The RCM will be integrated with a novel fast response NO/NO2 analyzer that will allow time-resolved NOx measurements and a rapid quenching system that will enable sophisticated gas analysis of combustion products and intermediates. By performingexperiments on biofuels (and surrogate fuels) in an RCM it will be possible to isolate the chemical kinetic effects on NOx and soot production from the variety of other processes that are present in an actual diesel engine. Moreover, data acquired using this system will be integral to developing a data base necessary for adopting a universally accepted reference fuel for biodiesel, such as methyl oleate. Development of an RCM capability dedicated to alternative fuels research will effectively bridge the gap between the handful of fundamental combustion studies on smaller biodiesel surrogates and the multitude of engine studies in which the underlying mechanisms responsible for pollutant emissions are difficult to isolate.Broader ImpactsEnvironmental essayist Bill McKibben rightfully suggests that global warming is the first civilization-scale challenge ever faced by the human race. While there is no single technological panacea for this omnipresent challenge, renewable fuels such as biodiesel have the potential to play a significant role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions since they are nearly CO2 neutral. A solution to the perceived biodiesel NOx problem will result in further widespread acceptance of biodiesel by engine manufacturers and government agencies, thereby resulting in decreased greenhouse gas emissions. Decreasing PM emissions from diesel engines is an equally important issue that can be addressed through the use of biodiesel. Diesel PM has been classified as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization and the USEPA, and recent studies have linked diesel PM to heart disease.