The Daily OrangeResearchers create green diesel fuel
By Laura Foti
Posted: 9/9/09, 2:01 AM EST Section: News
A team of Syracuse University researchers says new developments in fossil fuel research will allow diesel to burn cleaner than ever.
The team presented their findings at a national conference, Directions in Engine-Efficiency and Emissions Research (DEER), held by the U.S. Department of Energy on August 3-6.
To create the fuel, the researchers first dilute liquid diesel with carbon dioxide. The mixture is then heated to near supercritical levels, where it is neither a liquid nor a gas. It is the solution's vaporous quality that allows it to burn cleaner, said Gheorghe Anitescu, a research associate who joined graduate student Ronghong Lin and professor Lawrence L. Tavlarides on the research team.
In normal diesel combustion, the fuel is not heated to supercritical levels. The standard diesel process leaves liquid droplets behind in the engine. The leftover droplets lead to engine cooking, which produces the black, soot-like pollution often seen in the exhaust of tractor-trailers.
When the fuel is heated to near supercritical level, the fuel doesn't leave behind the droplets, allowing the fuel to burn cleaner, Anitescu said.
"Imagine that diesel is white wine, and supercritical diesel fuel is champagne," Anitescu said. "When you pop the champagne cork, the carbon dioxide makes it bubble. It's this bubbling that makes supercritical fuels easier and more efficient to mix with other gases."
The team discovered they could recycle some of the heat that would normally be released and harness it to power the system, too. The result is 50 percent less exhaust heat, and the elimination of 80 percent of pollutants released into the environment.
"Usually when people try to improve engines, they end up with lower efficiency because they put in filters or after-treatment devices," Anitescu said.
The team's improvement enhances engine performance and eliminates the need for after-treatment, which makes it superior in form and more economical, Anitescu said.
The team said it imagines supercritical diesel fuel as being an integral part in green technology.
"If we could convince people to adopt it, this could be used in diesel engines in cars, trucks, farm equipment, marine purposes-the possibilities are endless," Tavlarides said. "We are very excited and optimistic if we can bring this to people's attention."
The team realizes that this technology will pose a threat to other major industries, such as after-treatment products used to reduce emissions in gasoline. They said the hardest part might be in convincing everyone of its importance, despite the economic and political threat it may pose.
"We started in 2004 and while it may be hard to believe, we are still making progress," Anitescu said. "We saw all of these improvements, one by one, and put them together. There is much work to be done."
lefoti@syr.edu
The team presented their findings at a national conference, Directions in Engine-Efficiency and Emissions Research (DEER), held by the U.S. Department of Energy on August 3-6.
To create the fuel, the researchers first dilute liquid diesel with carbon dioxide. The mixture is then heated to near supercritical levels, where it is neither a liquid nor a gas. It is the solution's vaporous quality that allows it to burn cleaner, said Gheorghe Anitescu, a research associate who joined graduate student Ronghong Lin and professor Lawrence L. Tavlarides on the research team.
In normal diesel combustion, the fuel is not heated to supercritical levels. The standard diesel process leaves liquid droplets behind in the engine. The leftover droplets lead to engine cooking, which produces the black, soot-like pollution often seen in the exhaust of tractor-trailers.
When the fuel is heated to near supercritical level, the fuel doesn't leave behind the droplets, allowing the fuel to burn cleaner, Anitescu said.
"Imagine that diesel is white wine, and supercritical diesel fuel is champagne," Anitescu said. "When you pop the champagne cork, the carbon dioxide makes it bubble. It's this bubbling that makes supercritical fuels easier and more efficient to mix with other gases."
The team discovered they could recycle some of the heat that would normally be released and harness it to power the system, too. The result is 50 percent less exhaust heat, and the elimination of 80 percent of pollutants released into the environment.
"Usually when people try to improve engines, they end up with lower efficiency because they put in filters or after-treatment devices," Anitescu said.
The team's improvement enhances engine performance and eliminates the need for after-treatment, which makes it superior in form and more economical, Anitescu said.
The team said it imagines supercritical diesel fuel as being an integral part in green technology.
"If we could convince people to adopt it, this could be used in diesel engines in cars, trucks, farm equipment, marine purposes-the possibilities are endless," Tavlarides said. "We are very excited and optimistic if we can bring this to people's attention."
The team realizes that this technology will pose a threat to other major industries, such as after-treatment products used to reduce emissions in gasoline. They said the hardest part might be in convincing everyone of its importance, despite the economic and political threat it may pose.
"We started in 2004 and while it may be hard to believe, we are still making progress," Anitescu said. "We saw all of these improvements, one by one, and put them together. There is much work to be done."
lefoti@syr.edu
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