Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Low Temperature Combustion with Reduced PM and NOx Emissions, Achieved by n-Butanol in-Port Injected in an Omnivorous Diesel Engine
EPA Grant Number: SU835302Title: Low Temperature Combustion with Reduced PM and NOx Emissions, Achieved by n-Butanol in-Port Injected in an Omnivorous Diesel Engine
Investigators: Soloiu, Valentin , Rivero-Castillo, Alejandro , Anderson, Brandon , Wolfe, Brian , Olender, Daniel , Glisson, David , Ochieng, Henry , Youmans, Hubert , Weaver, Jabeous , Christian, Julia , Duggan, Marvin , Tyler, Mathis , Purser, Scott , Davoud, Sherwin , Harp, Spencer , Powell, Wesley
Institution: Georgia Southern University
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2012 through August 14, 2013
Project Amount: $15,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2012) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The objective of the Phase I of the project is to develop a new engine technology able to reduce drastically and concomitantly the engine NOx and soot by the n-butanol port-fuel injection (PFI) coupled with the direct injection of cotton seed biodiesel obtained from residues of cotton industry. The purpose of the technology is to replace the diesel, reducing the emissions and promoting biofuels for transportation and automotive industries with the scope of alleviating the impact of these industries on the global climate. For people, the idling and low loads are the most harmful regimes in city driving and this technology can make a great difference in terms of soot and NOx emissions at such loads where the diesel particulate filter work marginally well because of the low exhaust temperatures. The technology can be achieved with minimal environmental impact and with much better outcomes than corn ethanol because the n-butanol with high heating values can be produced from cellulosic waste. By promoting in this project n- butanol and cotton seed biodiesel would reduce the dependence on foreign oil while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting a prosperous sustainable economic growth and jobs creation. This project will also bring valuable information concerning the energy value of biofuels feed stocks for the ecosystem sustainability and biodiversity. The south U.S. has an economy with great agricultural emphasis and recycling the waste from harvested crops provides incentive to develop biofuel production plants which could supply jobs to the local communities.
The educational aspects of this project are: The Renewable Energy and Engines Research Laboratory of the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and IT in GSU will use this project as a tool to offer interdisciplinary research experiences for junior and senior engineering students in the field of renewable energy and biofuels combustion and emissions and advanced combustion technologies in internal combustion engines. The educational objectives are to increase the students' interest in conducting research, provide basic understanding of interdisciplinary concepts with the scope of hands-on learning, enhancing STEM problem-solving skills and increase their knowledge and ability to apply them to renewable energy research problems. The students will present their research in peer-reviewed journal and conference proceedings papers: Elsevier Energy, SAE International, ASME, etc. and posters in seminars in presentations.
The research and education experience provided through this project aims to develop a diverse, competitive, and internationally engaged engineering workforce, realized as a component of ongoing activities and projects performed alongside graduate and undergraduate students and faculty at Georgia Southern University.
The interdisciplinary project will bring together grad and undergrad students from Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Departments, Public Health and Chemistry, students from Wayne State University in Detroit, and Herty Advanced Materials Research Center, and will be used for sustainability outreach for lower-income high school students in the surrounding counties.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The innovative low temperature combustion of the n-butanol-cotton seed biodiesel mixtures was achieved by a combination of single-shot biodiesel direct injection and low pressure sequential n-butanol port injection. LTC was achieved for low to medium loads when combined with PCCI. The premixed combustion phase was drastically diminished with the injection of n-butanol and for high contents of alcohol and medium loads an early low temperature heat release was detected. At 3 bars IMEP, the early low temperature heat release of fuel B100C starts 6 degrees (1.25 ms) earlier than the diesel reference heat release, with a peak at 10 BTDC corresponding to 1200 K. The project in Phase I was very successful and was able to reduce NOx was by 77% at 3 bars IMEP and 98% at 1 IMEP while soot emissions showed significant decreases as much as 98% at 3 bars IMEP. The specific fuel energy consumption increased when the engine was fuelled with n-butanol, however, for 3 bars IMEP the efficiency values were in the same range for all fuels. For 1,000,000 trucks that would idle 1 hour/ day at 3 bars imep based on results, the technology would reduce emissions of soot by 640 lb soot /day. In a year that is a staggering 195 tons of soot that would not reach the lungs of kids and elderly. Meanwhile the NOx reduction for the same conditions would be 9,000 tons /year avoiding of asthma attacks on the same sensitive population and improving the quality of life.
Conclusions:
The project proved for the first time the possibility in applying a new pair of sustainable fuels: n-butanol and cotton seeds biodiesel to automotive technology. The clean idling technology works exceptionally well and the prototype is already implemented into a truck diesel engine for research.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 6 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Low Temperature Combustion, LTC, omnivorous engine, n-butanol, energy conservation, alternative energy source, renewable energy, fuel efficiency, renewable fuel, emission control technologies, design for the environment, environmental education, clean air.Relevant Websites:
P3 Phase II:
Low Temperature Combustion with Reduced PM and NOx Emissions, Achieved by n-Butanol in-Port Injected in an Omnivorous Diesel Engine | Final ReportThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.