A global awareness of internal combustion engine exhaust emissions has resulted in diesel engine manufacturers considering advanced engine technologies and the use of alternative fuels, such as methanol, to address this important issue.
Within this paper, the development of a methanol engine is outlined, which meets the 1994 California emission standards for all regulated exhaust gas components and is based upon the Navistar DT-466 diesel engine. A hot surface ignition (glow plug) system is used to assist in methanol ignition allowing the methanol engine to produce favorable NOx and particulate emissions, without increased unburned fuel emissions, compared to the baseline diesel version. Performance and efficiency correspond to that of the diesel engine.
The design features of the methanol engine, such as combustion system design, glow plug control system, methanol injection system and catalytic aftertreatment system are presented. Furthermore the activities concerning engine and vehicle demonstration are discussed.