Conventional Liquid Fuels Research Articles

The Emissions of a Compression-Ignition Engine Fuelled by a Mixture of Crude Oil and Biodiesel from the Lipids Accumulated in the Waste Glycerol-Fed Culture of Schizochytrium sp.

Microalgae are considered to be a promising and prospective source of lipids for the production of biocomponents for conventional liquid fuels. The available sources contain a lot of information about the cultivation of biomass and the amounts and composition of the resulting bio-oils. However, there is a lack of reliable and verified data on the impact of fuel blends based on microalgae biodiesel on the quality of the emitted exhaust gas. Therefore, the main objective of the study was to present the emission characteristics of a compression-ignition engine fuelled with a blend of diesel fuel and biodiesel produced from the lipids accumulated in the biomass of a heterotrophic culture of Schizochytrium sp. The final concentrations of microalgal biomass and lipids in the culture were 140.7 ± 13.9 g/L and 58.2 ± 1.1 g/L, respectively. The composition of fatty acids in the lipid fraction was dominated by decosahexaenoic acid (43.8 ± 2.8%) and palmitic acid (40.4 ± 2.8%). All parameters of the bio-oil met the requirements of the EN 14214 standard. It was found that the use of bio-components allowed lower concentrations of hydrocarbons in the exhaust gas, ranging between 33 ± 2 ppm and 38 ± 7 ppm, depending on the load level of the engine. For smoke opacity, lower emissions were found in the range of 50–100% engine load levels, where the observed content was between 23 ± 4% and 53 ± 8%.

Spray combustion characteristics of boron slurry fuel in high particle loading conditions

Enhancing the energy density of hydrocarbon fuels is indeed crucial, especially in the context of addressing energy needs. Incorporating energetic particles as additives into conventional liquid fuels garners increased attention due to its potential to enhance energy density. Due to its high energy potential, boron is the most promising additive in several energetic particles. However, the study focusing on the boron-loaded slurry fuels are limited. Therefore, the present work focuses on the effect of boron loading on the spray combustion of boron-loaded slurry fuel, especially at higher loadings (10%, 20% & 30% boron + Jet A-1 fuel) using a swirl-stabilized spray combustor. The research scrutinizes the feed and exhaust particles' surface morphology, chemical composition and active boron content through diverse particle characterization techniques. Furthermore, the study investigates the influence of boron loading on the combustion characteristics of slurry fuel using methods such as colour flame imaging, spectroscopy, and BO2* Chemiluminescence imaging. The impact of boron loading on the positive thermal contribution of the slurry was examined by analyzing temperature measurements at various locations within the combustor. The BO2* chemiluminescence imaging and spectroscopy results indicate that the intensity of BO2 emission increases with a rise in particle loading. The temperature results reveal an increase in temperature compared to pure Jet A-1 for all the boron-loaded cases. In particular, JB10 and JB20 achieved nearly 90% and 85% of the theoretical temperature increase. The diffractogram and thermogravimetric results of the burnt particles collected show that the particles were burnt thoroughly for the boron-loaded cases.

Design expert based optimization of the pyrolysis process for the production of cattle dung bio-oil and properties characterization

This study aimed to optimize pyrolysis conditions to maximize bio-oil yield from cattle dung, a waste product of livestock practices. Pyrolysis of cattle dung was carried out in batch type reactor. The pyrolysis process was optimized using a central composite design in response surface methodology, with conversion parameters such as pyrolysis temperature, vapor cooling temperature, residence time, and gas flow rate taken into account. The cattle dung bio-oil was analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS), an elemental analyzer, a pH probe, and a bomb calorimeter. Furthermore, the ASTM standard procedures were used to determine the bio-fuel characteristics. The optimized conditions were found to be a pyrolysis temperature of 402 °C, a vapor cooling temperature of 2.25 °C, a residence time of 30.72 min, and a gas flow rate of 1.81 l min−1, resulting in a maximum bio-oil yield of 18.9%. According to the findings, the yield of bio-oil was predominantly affected by pyrolysis temperature and vapor cooling temperature. Moreover, the bio-oil that was retrieved was discovered to be similar to conventional liquid fuels in numerous ways.

Steady states and kinetic modelling of the acid-catalysed ethanolysis of glucose, cellulose, and corn cob to ethyl levulinate.

Ethyl levulinate is a promising advanced biofuel and platform chemical that can be derived from lignocellulosic biomass by ethanolysis processes. It can be blended with both diesel and gasoline and, thus, used in conventional engines and infrastructure. Previously, it has been shown that alkyl levulinate/alcohol/alkyl ether mixtures exhibit significantly enhanced fuel properties relative to any of the individual fuel components, particularly when blended with conventional hydrocarbon liquid fuels. Consequently, this study specifically quantifies the three primary components of the alcoholysis reaction mixture: ethyl levulinate, diethyl ether, and ethanol. The steady state and kinetic phase fractions of ethyl levulinate and diethyl ether produced from glucose, cellulose, and corn cob with 0.5-2 mass% sulphuric acid in ethanol are determined for 5, 10, and 20 mass% of feedstock at 150 °C. Knowledge of the steady state equilibrium mixture fraction is specifically targeted due to its importance in assessing commercial-scale production and in modelling analysis as: (i) it defines the maximum yield possible at a given condition, and (ii) it is equitable to the minimum free energy state. Maximum steady state yields (mass%) of ethyl levulinate of (46.6 ± 3.7), (50.2 ± 5.4), and (27.0 ± 1.9)% are determined for glucose, cellulose, and corn cob, respectively. The conversion of glucose and cellulose to ethyl levulinate in the presence of ethanol and sulphuric acid is shown to be a catalytic process, where the ethyl levulinate yield is not dependent on the acid concentration. For corn-cob biomass, in a new and contrasting finding, the ethyl levulinate yield is shown to strongly depend on the acid concentration. This effect is also observed in the fractions of diethyl ether formed, providing strong evidence that the hydrogen cation is not being replenished in the ethanolysis process and the overall reaction with corncob is not wholly catalytic. Thus, for the acid catalysed alcoholysis of lignocellulosic biomass, acid concentration must be scaled with feedstock concentration. The critical corn cob-to-acid ratio that maximises ethyl levulinate yields while minimizing the formation of undesired co-products (diethyl ether) is in the range 10-20 : 1 at 150 °C. A detailed, hierarchical, mass-conserved chemical kinetic model capable of accurately predicting the relative abundance of the three primary components of the ethanolysis reaction: ethyl levulinate, diethyl ether, and ethanol, from the biochemical composition of the feedstock, is elucidated and validated.

Automatic mechanism generation for the combustion of advanced biofuels: A case study for diethyl ether

AbstractAdvanced biofuels have the potential to supplant significant fractions of conventional liquid fossil fuels. However, the range of potential compounds could be wide depending on selected feedstocks and production processes. Not enough is known about the engine relevant behavior of many of these fuels, particularly when used within complex blends. Simulation tools may help to explore the combustion behavior of such blends but rely on robust chemical mechanisms providing accurate predictions of performance targets over large regions of thermochemical space. Tools such as automatic mechanism generation (AMG) may facilitate the generation of suitable mechanisms. Such tools have been commonly applied for the generation of mechanisms describing the oxidation of non‐oxygenated, non‐aromatic hydrocarbons, but the emergence of biofuels adds new challenges due to the presence of functional groups containing oxygen. This study investigates the capabilities of the AMG tool Reaction Mechanism Generator for such a task, using diethyl ether (DEE) as a case study. A methodology for the generation of advanced biofuel mechanisms is proposed and the resultant mechanism is evaluated against literature sourced experimental measurements for ignition delay times, jet‐stirred reactor species concentrations, and flame speeds, over conditions covering φ = 0.5–2.0, P = 1–100 bar, and T = 298–1850 K. The results suggest that AMG tools are capable of rapidly producing accurate models for advanced biofuel components, although considerable upfront input was required. High‐quality fuel specific reaction rates and thermochemistry for oxygenated species were required, as well as a seed mechanism, a thermochemistry library, and an expansion of the reaction family database to include training data for oxygenated compounds. The final DEE mechanism contains 146 species and 4392 reactions and in general, provides more accurate or comparable predictions when compared to literature sourced mechanisms across the investigated target data. The generation of combustion mechanisms for other potential advanced biofuel components could easily capitalize on these database updates reducing the need for future user interventions.

Synthesis and Performance of Cyclopentadiene-Based Spirocyclopropane High-Energy-Density Fuels

High-energy–density fuels play a vital role in the development of the aviation industry because they can provide more propulsion energy than conventional liquid fuels. Constructing more five- or six-membered rings in fuel molecules is an efficient way to increase fuel density. However, as the number of rings increases, the hydrogen content of fuel molecules gradually decreases, resulting in a decrease in the mass calorific value, which limits the further improvement of the volumetric calorific value, meanwhile, the low-temperature characteristics of the fuel become worsen. Considering the high strain energy stored in cyclopropane moiety and the good cryogenic properties of spiro fuel, in this work, two spirocyclopropane high-energy–density fuels have been synthesized from cyclopentadiene by phase transfer catalytic cyclopropanation and palladium catalytic cyclopropanation, and the reaction conditions have been optimized. The synthesized fuels possess heat value and specific impulse higher than the widely used high-energy–density fuel JP-10. Additionally, their kinematic viscosity at low temperatures is only about one-third that of JP-10. The outstanding properties of the synthesized strained fuels suggest their good potential as high-energy–density fuels.

Experimental and theoretical investigation of ethyl methyl carbonate/air flames: Laminar burning velocity and cellular instability at elevated pressures

Ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) gained great attention because of its advantages shown in practical applications both as a blend with conventional oil-derived liquid fuels, and as a solvent being used in Li-ion cell electrolyte compositions. Thus, a better knowledge of the combustion characteristics of EMC/air premixed flames is necessary, which has not yet been well-explored. Towards this goal, the laminar flame propagation of EMC/air mixture was investigated using a constant-volume combustion chamber at the initial pressures of 1, 2, 5 and 8 atm, with the unburned temperature of 423 K and the equivalence ratios ranging from 0.7 to 1.5. A recently established chemical kinetic mechanism of EMC by Takahashi et al. (Combust. Flame 2022) was adopted for the theoretical prediction, which accurately reproduced the measured LBVs at 1–5 atm; however, it underpredicted the LBVs for the lean flame condition at 8 atm. According to the flame instability analysis, the increase in pressure leads to the elevated hydrodynamic instability and the decreased critical radius of spherical premixed flame. Meanwhile, the rich flames of EMC/air had the smaller critical Peclet numbers and suffered the more severe thermal-diffusive instabilities.

Alternative Liquid Fuels for Power Plants and Engines for Aviation, Marine, and Land Applications

The article considers the main tendencies of development of alternative liquid fuels used in aviation, land transport, and for the needs of power generation sector. An overview of the main constraints to the development of alternative fuel technologies in these technical areas was carried out. The main groups of the most promising components and fuel compositions capable of effectively replacing conventional liquid fuels have been generalized. The basic criteria for evaluating alternative fuels are formulated. Environmental indicators of fuel combustion are of paramount importance for aviation. Rheological characteristics, calorific value, and environmental friendliness are critical for land transport engines. The effectiveness of alternative fuels for the power generation sector needs to be assessed in terms of such factors as economic, environmental, rheological, and energy to find an optimal balanced formulation. The list of potential components of alternative liquid fuels is extremely large. For a comprehensive analysis of the efficiency and selection of the optimal composition of the fuel that meets specific requirements, it is necessary to use multicriteria evaluation methods.

Properties and Analysis of Liquid Alternative Fuels I: Fatty Acid Esters

The importance of alternative fuels is constantly growing due to environmental reasons, saving fossil fuels and reducing the dependence of the world countries on the supply of fossil raw materials from politically unstable regions. This article is further in a series of review articles focused on an overview of technical requirements and testing methods for selected alternative fuels. It is also the first in a series of papers focused on liquid alternative fuels. The aim of this series of articles is to provide an overview of the required properties of individual alternative fuels, the possibilities of their analysis and the importance of the individual analyzes. This article focuses on fuels containing fatty acid esters.Biodiesel can be burned in diesel engines either in a mixture with conventional diesel or as an individual fuel. Unlike conventional diesel, which is composed of hydrocarbons of petroleum origin, biodiesel contains fatty acid methyl esters. In addition to this main component, glycerol (by-product of transesterification), methanol, free fatty acids, glycerides (mono-, di- and tri-), catalyst residues, water, and possibly other components can be present also. These contaminants can, in certain concentrations, cause some undesirable properties both in pure biodiesel and in biodiesel/diesel blends. Compared to conventional diesel, biodiesel has a higher density and viscosity, but a slightly lower higher heating value, and considerably worse oxidation stability. In terms of pollutant emissions, the combustion of biodiesel produces less hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and solid particles, but slightly more nitrogen oxides than the combustion of mineral diesel. Gas chromatography, infrared spectroscopy, titration methods, and atomic spectroscopy methods have typically been used for the evaluation of these fuels. In addition to the properties monitored by these methods, conventional fuel parameters such as density, viscosity, low-temperature properties, oxidation stability, corrosion properties, flash point, cetane number, and others are monitored for biodiesel and biodiesel/diesel blends. In general, it can be stated that the analysis of fuels containing biodiesel is well managed. Instrumental equipment and (modified) analytical methods used for the analysis of conventional liquid fuels can be used to analyze these fuels.

Optimization of diesel engine performance and emissions with biodiesel-diesel blends and EGR using response surface methodology (RSM)

The rising price of conventional liquid fuels and increasing pollution drive research into alternate bio-fuels. In the present study, waste cooking soybean oil (WSCO) was collected from local restaurants and food processing industries. The 92% biodiesel yield was obtained by using a homogeneous transesterification process. A detailed experimental and analytical study of the engine performance and emissions with binary fuel blends of WSCO biodiesel and ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) has been performed using response surface methodology. Binary blends were prepared by adding 20–35 v.% of WSCO to ULSD; experiments were carried out at 0–15% EGR. To analyze the effects of input variables on BSFC, BTE, smoke, NOx, CO, and HC, regression models were developed and confirmed to be statistically significant. The binary blend of B35 with 15% EGR (B35EGR15) showed the maximum desirability (0.928). The model's adequacy was validated by a confirmation test with an error in prediction below 6%. For blend B35EGR15, BSFC was increased by 6.61% and BTE was reduced by 5.30% for B35EGR15 as compared to ULSDEGR0 (ULSD at 0% EGR). Smoke and NOx emissions were decreased by 19.09% and 59.04%, while CO and HC emissions were increased by 17.54% and 11.76%, as compared to ULSDEGR0. The economic analysis showed that the operation cost was reduced by 23.34% for B35EGR15 as compared to ULSDEGR0. The B35EGR15 blend can be used in existing diesel engines with no engine modifications.

Manipulation of Electrode Composition for Effective Water Management in Fuel Cells Fed with an Electrically Rechargeable Liquid Fuel.

The liquid fuel cell, with its high energy density and ease of fuel handling, has attracted great attention worldwide. However, its real application is still being greatly hindered by its limited power density. Hence, the recently proposed and demonstrated fuel cell, using an electrically rechargeable liquid fuel (e-fuel), is believed to be a candidate with great potential due to its significant performance advancement. Unlike the conventional alcoholic liquid fuels, the e-fuel possesses excellent reactivity, even on carbon-based materials, which therefore allows the e-fuel cell to achieve superior performance without any noble metal catalysts. However, it is found that, during the cell operation, the water generated at the cathode following the oxygen reduction reaction could lead to a water flooding problem and further limit the cell performance. To address this issue, in this work, by manipulating the cathode composition, a blended binder cathode using both Nafion and polytetrafluoroethylene as binding agents is fabricated and demonstrated its superiority in the fuel cell to achieve an enhanced water management and cell performance. Furthermore, using the developed cathode, a fuel cell stack is designed and fabricated to power a 3D-printed toy car, presenting this system as a promising device feasible for future study and real applications.

The contribution of bioenergy to the decarbonization of transport: a multi-model assessment

The expected growth in the demand for passenger and freight services exacerbates the challenges of reducing transport GHG emissions, especially as commercial low-carbon alternatives to petroleum fuels are limited for shipping, air and long-distance road travel. Biofuels can offer a pathway to significantly reduce emissions from these sectors, as they can easily substitute for conventional liquid fuels in internal combustion engines. In this paper, we assess the potential of bioenergy to reduce transport GHG emissions through an analysis leveraging various integrated assessment models and scenarios, as part of the 33rd Energy Modeling Forum study (EMF-33). We find that bioenergy can contribute a significant, albeit not dominant, proportion of energy supply to the future transport sector: in scenarios aiming to keep the temperature increase below 2 °C by the end of the twenty-first century, models project that in 2100 bioenergy can provide on average 42 EJ/yr (ranging from 5 to 85 EJ/yr) for transport (compared to 3.7 EJ in 2018), mainly through lignocellulosic fuels. This makes up 9–62% of final transport energy use. Only a small amount of bioenergy is projected to be used in transport through electricity and hydrogen pathways, with a larger role for biofuels in road passenger transport than in freight. The association of carbon capture and storage (CCS) with bioenergy technologies (BECCS) is a key determinant in the role of biofuels in transport, because of the competition for biomass feedstock to provide other final energy carriers along with carbon removal. Among models that consider CCS in the biofuel conversion process the average market share of biofuels is 21% in 2100 (ranging from 2 to 44%), compared to 10% (0–30%) for models that do not. Cumulative direct emissions from the transport sector account for half of the emission budget (from 306 to 776 out of 1,000 GtCO2). However, the carbon intensity of transport decreases as much as other energy sectors in 2100 when accounting for process emissions, including carbon removal from BECCS. Lignocellulosic fuels become more attractive for transport decarbonization if BECCS is not feasible for any energy sectors. Since global transport service demand increases and biomass supply is limited, its allocation to and within the transport sector is uncertain and sensitive to assumptions about political as well as technological and socioeconomic factors.

Greenhouse Gas Impact of Algal Bio-Crude Production for a Range of CO2 Supply Scenarios

Refined bio-crude production from hydrothermal liquefaction of algae holds the potential to replace fossil-based conventional liquid fuels. The microalgae act as natural carbon sequestrators by consuming CO2. However, this absorbed CO2 is released to the atmosphere during the combustion of the bio-crude. Thus, the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of refined bio-crude are linked to the production and supply of the materials involved and the process energy demands. One prominent raw material is CO2, which is the main source of carbon for algae and the subsequent products. The emissions associated with the supply of CO2 can have a considerable impact on the sustainability of the algae-based refined bio-crude production process. Furthermore, the diurnal algae growth cycle complicates the CO2 supply scenarios. Traditionally, studies have relied on CO2 supplied from existing power plants. However, there is potential for building natural gas or biomass-based power plants with the primary aim of supplying CO2 to the biorefinery. Alternately, a direct air capture (DAC) process can extract CO2 directly from the air. The life-cycle GHG emissions associated with the production of refined bio-crude through hydrothermal liquefaction of algae are presented in this study. Different CO2 supply scenarios, including existing fossil fuel power plants and purpose-built CO2 sources, are compared. The integration of the CO2 sources with the algal biorefinery is also presented. The CO2 supply from biomass-based power plants has the highest potential for GHG reduction, with a GHG footprint of −57 g CO2 eq./MJ refined bio-crude. The CO2 supply from the DAC process has a GHG footprint of 49 CO2 eq./MJ refined bio-crude, which is very similar to the scenario that considers the supply of CO2 from an existing conventional natural gas-based plant and takes credit for the carbon utilization.

Biocrude Oil Production by Integrating Microalgae Polyculture and Wastewater Treatment: Novel Proposal on the Use of Deep Water-Depth Polyculture of Mixotrophic Microalgae

Microalgae have attracted significant attention worldwide as one of the most promising feedstock fossil fuel alternatives. However, there are a few challenges for algal fuels to compete with fossil fuels that need to be addressed. Therefore, this study reviews the R&D status of microalgae-based polyculture and biocrude oil production, along with wastewater treatment. Mixotrophic algae are free to some extent from light restrictions using organic matter and have the ability to grow well even in deep water-depth cultivation. It is proposed that integrating the mixotrophic microalgae polyculture and wastewater treatment process is the most promising and harmonizing means to simultaneously increase capacities of microalgae biomass production and wastewater treatment with a low land footprint and high robustness to perturbations. A large amount of mixotrophic algae biomass is harvested, concentrated, and dewatered by combining highly efficient sedimentation through flocculation and energy efficient filtration, which reduce the carbon footprint for algae fuel production and coincide with the subsequent hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) conversion. HTL products are obtained with a relatively low carbon footprint and separated into biocrude oil, solid, aqueous, and gas fractions. Algae biomass feedstock-based HTL conversion has a high biocrude oil yield and quality available for existing oil refineries; it also has a bioavailability of the recycled nitrogen and phosphorus from the aqueous phase of algae community HTL. The HTL biocrude oil represents higher sustainability than conventional liquid fuels and other biofuels for the combination of greenhouse gas (GHG) and energy return on investment (EROI). Deep water-depth polyculture of mixotrophic microalgae using sewage has a high potential to produce sustainable biocrude oil within the land area of existing sewage treatment plants in Japan to fulfill imported crude oil.

A Review of Energy Loss Reduction Technologies for Internal Combustion Engines to Improve Brake Thermal Efficiency

Today, the problem of energy shortage and climate change has urgently motivated the development of research engaged in improving the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines (ICEs). Although many constructive alternatives—including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and low-carbon fuels such as biofuels or hydrogen—are being put forward, they are starting from a very low base, and still face significant barriers. Nevertheless, 85–90% of transport energy is still expected to come from combustion engines powered by conventional liquid fuels even by 2040. Therefore, intensive passion for the improvement of engine thermal efficiency and decreasing energy loss has driven the development of reliable approaches and modelling to fully understand the underlying mechanisms. In this paper, literature surveys are presented that investigate the relative advantages of technologies mainly focused on minimizing energy loss in engine assemblies, including pistons and rings, bearings and valves, water and oil pumps, and cooling systems. Implementations of energy loss reduction concepts in advanced engines are also evaluated against expectations of meeting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compliance in the years to come.

CFD simulation-based predesign of an advanced gas-diesel combustion concept

The greenhouse gas saving potential of using gaseous fuels with high methane content (e.g. natural gas) in internal combustion engines instead of conventional liquid fossil fuels (e.g. petrol, diesel) is considerable due to the comparatively low emission of carbon dioxide resulting from the low C/H ratio of methane. However, to fully exploit this potential, it is of utmost importance to keep methane slip at a very low level. In contrast to mixture aspirated gas engines and diesel-gas engines, the gas-diesel combustion concept avoids methane slip nearly completely since the gaseous fuel is directly injected into the combustion chamber at the end of the high-pressure phase of the engine cycle, resulting in mixing-controlled combustion with low emission of unburned hydrocarbons. An advanced high-speed large engine concept based on the gas-diesel combustion process was developed. An effective and reliable virtual design methodology was applied during the development of the concept. The methodology comprehensively combines 3D CFD and 1D simulation tools in the combustion concept predesign phase with experiments on a single-cylinder research engine in the concept validation phase. A major challenge in the virtual design of this dual fuel combustion process is the large number of degrees of freedom that result in particular from the use of a fully flexible combined gas/diesel injector. This paper describes in detail the role of 3D CFD simulation in this approach, which allows precise prediction of the optimal geometries and operating strategies for high-efficiency and low-emission engine operation.

A Review on CO2 Capture Technologies with Focus on CO2-Enhanced Methane Recovery from Hydrates

Natural gas is considered a helpful transition fuel in order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of other conventional power plants burning coal or liquid fossil fuels. Natural Gas Hydrates (NGHs) constitute the largest reservoir of natural gas in the world. Methane contained within the crystalline structure can be replaced by carbon dioxide to enhance gas recovery from hydrates. This technical review presents a techno-economic analysis of the full pathway, which begins with the capture of CO2 from power and process industries and ends with its transportation to a geological sequestration site consisting of clathrate hydrates. Since extracted methane is still rich in CO2, on-site separation is required. Focus is thus placed on membrane-based gas separation technologies widely used for gas purification and CO2 removal from raw natural gas and exhaust gas. Nevertheless, the other carbon capture processes (i.e., oxy-fuel combustion, pre-combustion and post-combustion) are briefly discussed and their carbon capture costs are compared with membrane separation technology. Since a large-scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) facility requires CO2 transportation and storage infrastructure, a technical, cost and safety assessment of CO2 transportation over long distances is carried out. Finally, this paper provides an overview of the storage solutions developed around the world, principally studying the geological NGH formation for CO2 sinks.

Novel liquid fuel HVOF torches fueled with ethanol: relationships between in-flight particle characteristics and properties of WC-10Co-4Cr coatings

Commercial WC-10Co-4Cr powder was sprayed by a novel HVOF process with ethanol used as fuel. Ethanol benefits from environmentally friendly features and less consumption of oxygen compared to conventional fossil liquid fuels (i.e. kerosene). Investigations were carried out to determine the influence of different oxygen/fuel ratios on the evolution of the velocity and temperature of in-flight particles in correlation with the properties of the resulting WC-CoCr coatings. The phase compositions, microstructures, porosity data, microhardness and fracture toughness were tested for comparation. The velocity and temperature of particles strongly depend on the total flow rate of oxygen and fuel. The variation of the ethanol flow rate has a more obvious influence on the velocity and temperature of the particles than that of oxygen. Detailed correlation of particle parameters and the coating properties are elaborated in order to deduce particle parameter ranges providing the coatings exhibiting optimum properties.

1D Simulation and Experimental Analysis on the Effects of the Injection Parameters in Methane–Diesel Dual-Fuel Combustion

Notwithstanding the policies that move towards electrified powertrains, the transportation sector mainly employs internal combustion engines as the primary propulsion system. In this regard, for medium- to heavy-duty applications, as well as for on- and off-road applications, diesel engines are preferred because of the better efficiency, lower CO2, and greater robustness compared to spark-ignition engines. Due to its use at a large scale, the internal combustion engines as a source of energy depletion and pollutant emissions must further improved. In this sense, the adoption of alternative combustion concepts using cleaner fuels than diesel (e.g., natural gas, ethanol and methanol) presents a viable solution for improving the efficiency and emissions of the future powertrains. Particularly, the methane–diesel dual-fuel concept represents a possible solution for compression ignition engines because the use of the low-carbon methane fuel, a main constituent of natural gas, as primary fuel significantly reduces the CO2 emissions compared to conventional liquid fuels. Nonetheless, other issues concerning higher total hydrocarbon (THC) and CO emissions, mainly at low load conditions, are found. To minimize this issue, this research paper evaluates, through a new and alternative approach, the effects of different engine control parameters, such as rail pressure, pilot quantity, start of injection and premixed ratio in terms of efficiency and emissions, and compared to the conventional diesel combustion mode. Indeed, for a deeper understanding of the results, a 1-Dimensional spray model is used to model the air-fuel mixing phenomenon in response to the variations of the calibration parameters that condition the subsequent dual-fuel combustion evolution. Specific variation settings, in terms of premixed ratio, injection pressure, pilot quantity and combustion phasing are proposed for further efficiency improvements.

Energizing Fuel Cells with an Electrically Rechargeable Liquid Fuel

Direct liquid fuel cells with high energy density and facile fuel storage have received increasing attention. Owing to the poor reactivity of conventional liquid fuels, they not only require noble metal catalysts for their oxidation but also exhibit limited performance. Here, we report a power-generation system, the direct liquid e-fuel cell, where “e-fuel” stands for “electrically rechargeable fuel.” This e-fuel cell consists of a catalyst-free graphite-felt anode and a conventional oxygen cathode separated by a proton exchange membrane, producing a maximum current density of 750 mA cm−2, a peak power density of 293 mW cm−2, and an energy efficiency of 42.3% at room temperature, which is much higher than the performances achieved by conventional direct liquid fuel cells. This emerging technology, capable of fast recharging, could be a powerful, efficient, cost-effective, and durable power-generation device, showing great potential for commercialization in the fuel cell electric vehicle industry.