Improving performance of 2-methylfuran as alternative SI fuel using cooled EGR
15 May 2014
In a paper in the journal Fuel, researchers at Tianjin University report on the use of cooled EGR to improve the overall performance of 2-methylfuran (MF) as an alternative fuel. A 2011 study by researchers from RWTH Aachen University (Germany) and FEV GmbH had concluded that MF was a promising novel biofuel candidate (earlier post), and that “the effects of EGR on NOx emissions from the combustion of 2-methylfuran should be studied as this poses the most important measure to reduce these emissions in stoichiometric combustion systems.”
In the Tianjin study, the team explored the impact of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) rates from 0% to 15% and compression ratios (CRs) of 8, 9, and 10 on the combustion characteristics and emission performance of 2-methylfuran (MF) and gasoline.
Using a Ricardo E6 single-cylinder spark-ignition (SI) research engine, under stoichiometric conditions, the team found that MF could produce higher cylinder pressure, knocking intensity, combustion temperature, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions than gasoline at higher CRs.
However, an appropriate level of cool EGR improved the combustion and emissions, particularly through knock suppression and reduced NOx emissions.
When the cooled EGR rate reached 15%, the NOx emissions from the gasoline at a compression ratio of 10 was reduced by about 20.6 g/kWh (>72.5%) compared with 0% EGR. With a low EGR rate, there was only a slight improvement in the indicated thermal efficiency; however, when the EGR reaches 15%, the MF results in 31.2% higher indicated thermal efficiency when compared to gasoline with a CR of 10. This work further advances the knowledge of how to improve the overall performance of MF as an alternative fuel for internal combustion engines.—Pan et al.
Mingzhang Pan, Gequn Shu, Jiaying Pan, Haiqiao Wei, Dengquan Feng, Yubin Guo, Youcai Liang (2014) “Performance comparison of 2-methylfuran and gasoline on a spark-ignition engine with cooled exhaust gas recirculation,” Fuel, Volume 132, Pages 36-43, doi: 10.1016/j.fuel.2014.04.054
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