Methyl ether engine research for ultraclean combustion under efficient injection and ignition control

尾气排放的控制面临着一个不断变化的目标，一旦即将达到现有的监管标准，这个目标就会变得更加严格。汽车发动机的主要管制污染物是氮氧化物(NOx)、颗粒物(PM)、总烃(THC)和一氧化碳(CO)。有关燃油效率和二氧化碳排放的法规与低碳车辆的研究相一致，出现在欧盟VI和美国5排放法规中。为了满足全球对低碳量、更高效、更清洁的发动机对液体运输燃料日益增长的需求，甲醚，即二甲醚(DME)和乙二醇醚(OME)已成为柴油的最佳替代品，因为来自生物来源的燃料生产正在获得更好的产量。该研究项目的重点是利用福特卡车发动机模型对甲醚作为柴油发动机替代燃料的可行性进行系统的调查和评估。DME和OME是无烟尘的燃烧燃料。尽管能量密度较低，燃料和喷射系统与液化丙烷(LPG)发动机相似，但DME发动机在柴油应用中仍具有相当的发动机性能，因此在后处理和燃料管理方面相对经济有效。在专注于DME乘用车的福特欧洲项目的同时，福特加拿大公司正在带头召集燃料供应商、发动机专业知识和供应链来开发DME/OME皮卡，并展示DME发动机在加拿大进行道路测试的生产能力。拟议的研究将包括DME/OME燃料对清洁燃烧控制和排放特性的影响，从燃料管理、增压、喷射、喷雾、点火和空气管理到燃烧行为和污染物形成历史。拟议的产学研合作将解决开发DME/OME发动机技术方面的挑战。目标发动机将在2-3年后用于示范车辆。5年后的结果将是福特示范DME汽车在道路上进行测试。

The control of exhaust emissions are facing a moving target that gets ever more stringent once an existing regulation standard is about to be met. The primary regulated pollutants for automotive engines are the nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matters (PM), total hydrocarbons (THC), and carbon monoxide (CO). The regulations on fuel efficiency and CO2 emission are in the Euro VI and US5 emission regulations in concert with low carbon vehicles research. To meet the growing global demand for liquid transportation fuels with lower-carbon footage, more efficient, and cleaner-burning engines, methyl ether, i.e., dimethyl ether (DME) and oxymethylene ether (OME) have become an optimal replacement for diesel fuel as the fuel production from bio-sources are gaining better yield. The research project focuses on the systematic investigation and assessment of the feasibility of methyl ethers as alternative fuels in diesel engines using Ford truck engine models. DME and OME are soot-free burning fuels. The DME engines have compatible engine performance in diesel application despite of lower energy density and similar fueling and injection system to liquefied propane gas (LPG) engines, thus relatively cost-effective in after-treatment and fuel management. In parallel with the Ford Europe project which focuses on DME passenger cars, Ford Canada is taking the lead on bringing the fuel suppliers, engine expertise and supply chains to develop DME/OME pick-up trucks, and to demonstrate the DME engine production ability for on-road testing in Canada. The proposed research will include DME/OME fuel impacts on clean combustion control and emission characteristics from fueling management, boost, injection, spray, ignition, and air management to combustion behavior and pollutant formation history. The proposed industry-academic collaborations will address the challenges in developing the DME/OME engine technologies. The targeted engine will be used on the demonstration vehicles after 2-3 years. The outcomes after 5 years will be Ford demonstration DME vehicles on the road tests.