Operation of OME in a single cylinder research engine and a series engine - An Analysis of efficiency and ultralow emissions by an OME-specific application

In this paper, various investigations are carried out with the synthetic diesel fuel oxymethylene ether (OME). OME belongs to the group of C1 oxygenates, which are characterized by low-soot combustion and thus have enormous potential for reducing emissions. A series engine for industrial applications and a single-cylinder research engine are used in the described investigations. The aim is to demonstrate the potential in terms of efficiency and emissions compared to diesel. The investigations show that a significant reduction in the number of particles can be achieved when operating with OME, while at the same time achieving lowest nitrogen oxide emissions. Because of favorable combustion properties, the efficiency can be maintained at the same level as for diesel, even though the installed series components of the injection system are not optimized for OME. If the components are adapted, an increase in efficiency can be assumed. In a final test, the potential of OME is demonstrated. The results show that it is possible to operate a series engine with OME by adapting the engine control system with regard to the power requirement. In addition to lowering nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions, all regulated exhaust gas components can be reduced. The findings show that OME as an energy carrier is a promising approach to con-tribute to future sustainable mobility.