• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2010

The aim of this work is to investigate the spray and combustion characteristics of dimethyl-ether (DME) at various injection conditions. The spray characteristics such as spray tip penetration and spray cone angle were experimentally studied from the spray images which obtained from the spray visualization system. Combustion and emissions characteristics were numerically investigated by using KIVA-3V code coupled with Chemkin chemistry solver. From these results, it revealed that DME spray had a shorter spray tip penetration and wider spray cone angle than that of diesel spray due to the low density, low surface tension, and fast evaporation characteristics. At the constant heating value condition, DME fuel showed higher peak combustion pressure and earlier ignition timing, because of high cetane number and superior evaporation characteristics. In addition, the combustion of DME exhausted more $NO_x$ emission and lower HC emission due to the active combustion reaction in the combustion chamber. The result shows that DME had a little soot emission due to its molecular structure characteristics with no direct connection between carbons.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.33-39
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• 2007

The present study is mainly motivated to investigate the vaporization, auto-ignition and combustion processes in high-pressure engine conditions. In order to realistically simulate the dimethyl ether (DME) spray dynamics and vaporization characteristics in high-pressure and high-temperature environment, the high-pressure vaporization model is utilized. The interaction between chemistry and turbulence is treated by employing the Representative Interaction Flamelet (RIF) model. The detailed chemistry of 336 elementary steps and 78 chemical species is used for the DME/air reaction. Numerical results indicate that the RIF approach, together with the high-pressure vaporization model, successfully predicts the essential feature of ignition and spray combustion processes.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.16-25
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• 2005

The present study is mainly motivated to investigate the vaporization, auto-ignition and combustion processes in high-pressure engine conditions. In order to realistically simulate the dimethyl ether (DME) spray dynamics and vaporization characteristics in high-pressure and high-temperature environment, the high-pressure vaporization model is utilized. The interaction between chemistry and turbulence is treated by employing the Representative Interaction Flamelet(RIF) model. The detailed chemistry of 336 elementary steps and 78 chemical species is used for the DME/air reaction. Numerical results indicate that the RIF approach, together with the high-pressure vaporization model, successfully predicts the essential feature of ignition and spray combustion processes.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.53-60
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• 2009

In this study, LPG-blended DME fuel was experimentally investigated in CI(compression ignition) engine. In particular, performance, emissions characteristics (including hydrocarbon, CO, and NOx emissions), and combustion stability of engine fueled with LPG-blended DME fuel were examined. The extent of LPG fuel in the blended fuel was 0-40 wt%. Results showed that stable engine operation was possible in a wide range of engine loads on DME blended with maximum 30% of LPG by mass in a CI engine. Considering the results of the engine power output and exhaust emissions, blended fuel up to 30% of LPG by mass can be used as an alternative to diesel in a CI engine. LPG blended DME fuel is expected to have potential for enlarging the DME market.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.125-131
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• 2006

Dimethyl ether (DME) is a new clean fuel as an environmentally-benign energy resource. DME can be manufactured from various energy sources including natural gas, coal, biomass and spent plastic. In addition to its environmentally friendly properties, DME has similar characteristics to those of LPG. Therefore, it is considered as an excellent substitute fuel for LPG, fuel cells, power plant, and especially diesel and is expected to be the alternative fuel by 2010. The experimental study of the direct synthesis of DME was investigated under various conditions over a temperature range of $220{\sim}280^{\circ}C$, syngas ratio 1.2~3.0. All experiments were carried out with a hybrid catalyst, composed of a methanol synthesis catalyst ($Cu/ZnO/Al_2O_3$) and a dehydration catalyst (${\gamma}-Al_2O_3$). The observed reaction rate follows qualitatively a Langmiur-Hinshellwood model as the reaction mechanism. Such a mechanism is considered with three reactions; methanol synthesis, methanol dehydration and water gas shift reaction. From a surface reaction with dissociative adsorption of hydrogen, methanol, and water, individual reaction rate was determined.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.30-37
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• 2007

Dimethyl ether (DME) as an alternative fuel for compression ignition engine was investigated by measuring spray development processes, injection rate profiles, engine performance, and exhaust emission characteristics. The results of DME fueled engine were compared with those obtained by fueled with diesel. The experimental results showed that DME has approximately 0.03ms shorter injection delay and higher maximum injection rate than those of diesel fuel at a constant injection pressure of 50MPa. The spray visualization indicates that DME has shorter spray tip penetration due to its low density and faster evaporation. The combustion characteristics of DME operated engine provided faster ignition delay and three times shorter combustion duration. It is believed that the better evaporation and atomization characteristic of DME contributes the faster combustion. At all operating condition, soot emission was not detected due to the clean combustion of DME.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.71-76
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• 2009

The aim of this investigation is to study the effect of the high injection pressure on the dimethyl ether (DME) spray characteristics injected through a common-rail diesel injector under various ambient pressures. In order to investigate the effect of the injection pressure and ambient condition, the common-rail injection system with two high pressure pumps and high pressure chamber pressurized up to 40 bar were used, respectively. Spray images of DME fuel obtained from a visualization system composed of high speed camera and two metal halide lamps as the light source. From the obtained images, the spray behaviors such as a spray development process, spray tip penetration, spray width, and spray cone angle were measured for analyzing the DME spray characteristics under various experimental conditions. It was found that the spray development slowed as the ambient pressure increased and spray tip penetration at injection pressure of 90 MPa is longer than that at 50 MPa. In addition, the spray width at the end stage of injection decreased under the atmospheric conditions due to the evaporation property of DME fuel, and DME spray shows narrow spray cone angle according to the injection pressure increased.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.138-145
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• 2003

There are high expectations for DME(Dimethyl Ether) as a new alternative fuel for diesel engine. Compared with the conventional diesel engine, nearly zero soot emission and high thermal efficiency have been reported from DME fuelled CI engines. However, higher NOx emission is one of the disadvantages from DME Engines. In the present study, cooled EGR(Exhaust Gas Recirculation) was applied to DME engine modified from conventional Dl diesel engine, and effects of EGR were examined under various EGR temperature. Finally, it was concluded that the cooled EGR is an effective solution to reduce NOx emission from DME engine.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.147-156
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• 2008

As the management of fuel efficiency becomes globally reinforced in attempts to find an environment-friendly vehicle that will operate against global warming, the interest in and the demand for the type of vehicle with a high-efficiency diesel engine using light oil. However, it also emits a greater amount of PM (particulate matter) and NOx than emissions from vehicles using other types of fuels. Therefore, the DME (Dimethyl Ether), an oxygen containing fuel draws attention as an alternative fuel for light oil that can be used for diesel engines since it generates very little smoke. But to develop and compare performance of an electric controlled common-rail DME engine, engine tests requires optimized injection conditions at required engine RPM and engine torque. These injection conditions cannot be set freely and the data configuration through the experimentally repeated application requires much time as well as a significant amount of errors and effort. The object of this study is to configure the basic injection map using the results of the DME engine experiments performed so far. For this, in this study, the functionalization of the required equations were performed along with the basic review of the factors that had influence on the data map. Through this, the information on the injection pressure, injection amount, injection duration, injection timing, etc. under certain operation condition could be obtained.

• International Journal of Automotive Technology
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.645-652
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• 2006

This paper is concerned with an experimental study of a turbocharged diesel engine operating on dimethyl ether(DME). The combustion and emission characteristics of DME engine were investigated. The results showed that the maximum torque and power with DME could achieve a greater level compared to diesel operation, particularly at low speeds; the brake specific fuel consumption with DME was lower than the diesel at low and middle engine speeds. The injection delay of DME was longer than that of diesel. However, the maximum cylinder pressure, maximum pressure rise rate and combustion noises of DME engine were lower than those of diesel. The combustion velocity of DME was faster than that of diesel, resulting in a shorter combustion duration of DME. Compared with the diesel engine, $NO_x$ emissions of the DME engine were reduced by 41.6% on ESC data. The DME engine was smoke free at all operating points of the engine.