This content is not included in
your SAE MOBILUS subscription, or you are not logged in.
Drive Cycle Analysis of Load Control Strategies for Methanol Fuelled ICE Vehicle
Technical Paper
2012-01-1606
ISSN: 0148-7191, e-ISSN: 2688-3627
Annotation ability available
Sector:
Language:
English
Abstract
The use of methanol as spark-ignition engine fuel can help to increase energy security and offers the prospect of carbon neutral transport. Methanol's properties enable considerable improvements in engine performance, efficiency and CO2 emissions compared to gasoline operation. SAE paper 2012-01-1283 showed that both flex-fuel and dedicated methanol engines can benefit from an operating strategy employing exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) to control the load while leaving the throttle wide open (WOT). Compared to throttled stoichiometric operation, this reduces pumping work, cooling losses, dissociation and engine-out NOx.
The current paper presents follow-up work to determine to what extent these advantages still stand over an entire drive cycle. The average vehicle efficiency, overall CO2 and NOx emissions from a flexible fuel vehicle completing a drive cycle on gasoline and methanol were evaluated. Next, the throttled and WOT EGR strategy were compared in terms of drive cycle efficiency and emissions for both a flex-fuel and a dedicated methanol vehicle. The analysis was done using Lotus Vehicle Simulation and was based on steady state experimental results obtained from a single cylinder research engine and a turbocharged four cylinder diesel that was converted for SI operation on methanol.
Our results indicate that over an entire drive cycle using methanol in a flex-fuel vehicle enables a relative efficiency benefit compared to gasoline of more than 3.5%pt while reducing the CO2 emissions and engine-out NOx apprx. 20% and 90% respectively. The benefits of the WOT EGR strategy are most pronounced for the turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which thanks to its high compression ratio and elevated level of in-cylinder turbulence allows throttleless load control down to 3 bar BMEP. This results in drive cycle efficiencies and CO2 emissions comparable to the baseline diesel engine.
Authors
Topic
Citation
Naganuma, K., Vancoillie, J., Sileghem, L., Verhelst, S. et al., "Drive Cycle Analysis of Load Control Strategies for Methanol Fuelled ICE Vehicle," SAE Technical Paper 2012-01-1606, 2012, https://doi.org/10.4271/2012-01-1606.Also In
References
- Pearson, R.J. Turner, J.W.G. Peck, A.J. “Gasoline-ethanol-methanol tri-fuel vehicle development and its role in expediting sustainable organic fuels for transport” IMechE Low Carbon Vehicles Conference London, UK 2009
- Specht, M. Bandi, A. “Renewable carbon-based transportation fuels” Renewable Energy 3C Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin 2006
- Olah, G.A. Goeppert, A. Prakash, G.K. “Beyond Oil and Gas: the Methanol Economy.” Wiley-VCH Verlag CmbH & Co.KGaA Weinheim, Germany 2006
- Verhelst, S. Wallner, T. “Hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines” Progress in Energy and Combustion Science 35 6 490 527 2009
- Vancoillie, J. Verhelst, S. “Modeling the combustion of light alcohols in {SI} engines: a preliminary study” FISITA 2010 World Automotive Congress Budapest, Hungary 2010
- Vancoillie, J. Sileghem, L. Van de Ginste, M. Demuynck, J. et al. “Experimental Evaluation of Lean-burn and EGR as Load Control Strategies for Methanol Engines,” SAE Technical Paper 2012-01-1283 2012 10.4271/2012-01-1283
- Brusstar, M. Stuhldreher, M. Swain, D. Pidgeon, W. “High Efficiency and Low Emissions from a Port-Injected Engine with Neat Alcohol Fuels,” SAE Technical Paper 2002-01-2743 2002 10.4271/2002-01-2743
- Neame, G. Gardiner, D. Mallory, R. Rao, V. et al. “Improving the Fuel Economy of Stoichiometrically Fuelled S.I. Engines by Means of EGR and Enhanced Ignition - A Comparison of Gasoline, Methanol and Natural Gas,” SAE Technical Paper 952376 1995 10.4271/952376
- Abd-Alla, G.H. “Using exhaust gas recirculation in internal combustion engines: a review” Energy Conversion and Management 43 8 1027 1042 2002
- Pannone, G. Johnson, R. “Methanol as a Fuel for a Lean Turbocharged Spark ignition Engine,” SAE Technical Paper 890435 1989 10.4271/890435
- Heywood, J.B. “Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals”, McGraw-Hill series in mechanical engineering MacGraw-Hill New York 1988
- Germane, G. Wood, C. Hess, C. “Lean Combustion in Spark-Ignited Internal Combustion Engines - A Review,” SAE Technical Paper 831694 1983 10.4271/831694
- Dunn-Rankin, D. “Lean combustion: technology and control” Elsevier Academic Press Burlington, MA 2008
- http://www.lotusfiles.com/engineering/lesoft/LVS_insert.pdf