Low-Temperature Ethanol Reforming: A Multi-Cylinder Engine Demonstration AVL Powertrain Engineering Incorporated

Format:

Conference/Event

Author/Creator:

Wheeler, Wheeler, author.

Contributor:

Morgenstern, David A.

Sall, Erik D.

Stein, Robert A.

Taylor, James W.

Conference Name:

SAE 2011 World Congress & Exhibition (2011-04-12 : Detroit, Michigan, United States)

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Warrendale, PA SAE International 2011

Summary:

It has been previously reported that ethanol can be reformed ataround 300°C to a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and methaneusing copper-plated nickel catalyst. This low reforming temperatureenables heat to be supplied from the engine exhaust.Single-cylinder engine testing demonstrated that this gaseousmixture of "ethanol reformate" enhances engine combustionand part load dilution capability, which decreases fuel consumptionwhile also reducing feedgas NOx emissions. In addition,excellent cold start capability with significantly reducedhydrocarbon emissions was observed. Thus, ethanol reformate has thepotential to address two major barriers to wider use of ethanol asan engine fuel: ethanol's low heating value per volume andhigher hydrocarbon emissions at startup relative to gasoline.In this study, the dilute capability of a multi-cylinder enginewas assessed using a mixture of 50% reformate and 50% E85 on a massbasis at several key part load operating points. A strategycombining lean-burn with internal residual dilution was used tomaximize thermal efficiency while maintaining adequate exhaust gastemperature for reformer operation. The resulting feedgasNOx emissions are low enough to enable the use of areasonably sized lean NOx trap with low regenerationfrequency for minimal impact to the fuel consumption benefit.Cold start testing at 20°C showed that 50% reformate massfraction is sufficient to provide significantly reduced start-upemissions and fuel consumption compared to an E85 baseline. Theretarded spark timings incorporated in the test engine'sproduction calibration enabled 300°C exhaust temperatures forthree-way catalyst light-off after 15 seconds of operation. Theresults indicate that a reasonably sized reservoir tank couldsupply enough reformate for vehicle start.While most of the results of this study were acquired usingsimulated ethanol reformate from gas bottles, data at one part-loadengine operating point was obtained using a working prototypereformer utilizing engine exhaust heat

Notes:

Vendor supplied data

Publisher Number:

2011-01-0142

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license