The oxidation characteristics of furan derivatives and binary TPGME blends under engine relevant conditions

Abstract

Furan and its derivatives have been receiving attention as next generation alternative fuels, related to advanced bio-oil production. However, the ignition quality of furans allows their use only as an additive to diesel fuel in CI engines, which potentially requires the continued use of a fossil-derived base fuel. This study first adopts tri-propylene glycol mono-methyl ether (TPGME) as a substitute for diesel fuel with addition of furan and furan derivatives, including 2-methylfuran, 2,5-dimethylfuran, and furfural, thereby removing fossil-derived fuels from the mixture. With this motivation, gas-phase ignition characteristics of furans were investigated in a modified CFR motored engine, displaying an absence of low temperature heat release (LTHR), while n-heptane as a reference fuel shows a strong two-stage ignition characteristic under the same condition. The structural impact of furans is represented as global oxidation reactivities that are as follows: furan < 2-methylfuran < 2,5-dimethylfuran < furfural < n-heptane. The ranking of individual furans is supported by bond dissociation energies of each fuel's functional group substituent on the furan-ring. Ignition characteristics of TPGME display a strong low-temperature oxidation reactivity; however, its reactivity rapidly diminishes with increasing amounts of furan, shutting down low-temperature oxidation paths. The structural impact of furan and methyl-substituted furans on reactivity is significantly muted when blended with TPGME, as observed in a motored CFR engine and a constant volume spray combustion chamber.