Methods for the Holistic Evaluation of the Fuel Influence on Gasoline Engine Combustion

The proportion of new registrations with battery-electric and hybrid powertrains is rising steadily. This shows the strong trend in the automotive industry away from conventional powertrains with internal combustion engines. The aim is to reduce the transport sector's contribution to CO₂ emissions. However, it should be noted that this only applies when renewable energy is used. Studies show the relevance of the system boundaries under consideration, which makes the application of Life Cycle Assessment indispensable. According to these studies, the various types of powertrains differ only slightly in their greenhouse gas impact. Rather, the energy supply chain plays a significant role. Moreover, a ban on combustion engines would lead to an additional increase in cumulative CO₂ emissions. An important aspect on the way to sustainable mobility solutions is addressing the existing fleet. The approximately 1.25 billion vehicles predominantly powered by internal combustion engines can make a significant contribution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using renewable fuels. Synthetic manufacturing pathways can improve the fuel composition and properties to also minimize pollutant emissions in addition to CO₂. This can specifically benefit vehicles without particulate filters, reducing local emissions. The large number of different production paths of renewable fuels leads to a high diversification of components and properties. Methods are needed to optimize these for internal combustion engine operations. Since the change of the used fuel has far-reaching effects, a holistic approach is required. In the current work, different methods are presented to evaluate and optimize the effects on the sub-processes of gasoline engine combustion. As a results, requirements for renewable fuels can be defined which play an important role for the further development of process engineering and manufacturing for renewable fuels.