Excellence in Research: Combustion of Bio-derived Isobutanol as an Emerging Fuel for Improved Fuel Efficiency and Economy

该项目研究了一种新兴的生物衍生液体燃料异丁醇及其与汽油的混合物在液滴燃烧过程中促进球形火焰的燃烧性能。这项工作的相关性源于这样一个事实，即内燃机（如汽油发动机）是由石油基燃料驱动的，而这些燃料的供应是有限的。因此，这些不可再生的液体燃料的持续消耗和对有害排放的担忧突出了对可持续生产和减少排放的可再生生物燃料的需求。在此背景下，本工作旨在提供对生物丁醇及其与实际运输燃料混合物的燃烧动力学的基本理解，以确定其在内燃机中的潜在性能。这些努力将通过指导提高燃油效率的发展和提供减少有害排放的见解，从而为气候变化提供解决方案，从而显著造福社会。从教育的角度来看，该项目更广泛的影响包括为本科生和研究生阶段的少数民族学生提供进行独立研究、发现新知识和探索实际应用的机会。此外，这项工作将提供各种K-12外展机会。这些项目将吸引更多的少数族裔学生，吸引他们从事科学和工程方面的职业，从而在科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域建立一支更加多样化的劳动力队伍。本研究的目的是加深对生物衍生液体燃料作为石油基燃料的有前途的添加剂或替代品的燃烧过程的基本理解。该项目的具体目标是：(1)在Prairie View A&amp；M大学建立一个具有成本效益的多相液滴燃烧设施，以建立作为传统黑人学院和大学在液滴燃烧和热流体领域的机构研究能力；(2)建立定量提取异丁醇及其与石油基燃料混合燃烧烟灰体积分数的实验平台；(3)建立异丁醇燃烧实验数据库，评估其作为汽油添加剂的潜力，以减少石油基液体燃料的消耗以及燃烧过程中的有害排放物。获得的结果将促进对生物衍生燃料如何在石油基液体燃料的背景下燃烧的理解。收集的实验燃烧数据也将成为研究社区开发，验证和优化数值模型的有价值的数据库。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project concerns a study of the combustion performance of an emerging bio-derived liquid fuel, isobutanol, and its mixtures with gasoline in an environment that promotes spherical flames during droplet combustion. The relevance of this work stems from the fact that combustion engines such as gasoline engines are powered by petroleum-based fuels, and the supplies of these fuels are limited. Therefore, the continuous consumption of these non-renewable liquid fuels and concerns over the harmful emissions have highlighted the need for renewable biofuels with sustainable production and reduced emissions. In this context, this work aims to provide a fundamental understanding of the combustion dynamics of biobutanol and its blends with practical transportation fuels to determine their potential performance in combustion engines. These efforts will significantly benefit society by guiding the development of improved fuel efficiency and providing insights into reducing harmful emissions, and thus offering solutions to climate change. Broader impacts from an educational perspective for this project include providing underrepresented minority students at both undergraduate and graduate levels with opportunities to conduct independent research, discover new knowledge, and explore practical applications. Furthermore, this work will offer various K-12 outreach opportunities. These programs will engage more minority students, attract them to pursue a career in science and engineering, and thus build a more diverse workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).The goal of this research is to deepen the fundamental understanding of the combustion processes of bio-derived liquid fuels as promising additives or alternatives for petroleum-based fuels. The specific objectives of this project are to (1) establish a cost-effective Multiphase Droplet Burning Facility at Prairie View A&M University to build the institutional research capacity as a Historically Black College and University in the areas of droplet combustion and thermo-fluids; (2) build an experimental platform to quantitatively extract Soot Volume Fraction during the combustion of isobutanol and its mixtures with petroleum-based fuels; and (3) develop an experimental database for the combustion of isobutanol to evaluate its potential for being a desirable additive for gasoline to reduce the consumption of petroleum-based liquid fuels as well as harmful emissions during combustion. Results obtained will advance the understanding of how bio-derived fuels combust in the context of petroleum-based liquid fuels. Experimental combustion data collected will also be a valuable database for the research community for developing, validating, and optimizing numerical models.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.