2-Butanol – Tomorrow‘s Fuel for Today‘s Engines?

Authors

Dr.-Ing. Felix Eitel, Arjun Chandrashekar, M. Sc., Dipl.-Ing. Arndt Döhler, Dipl.-Ing. Jan Fritzsche, Opel Automobile GmbH, Rüsselsheim, Germany;
Christian Wouters, M. Sc., Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Pischinger, Institute for Combustion Engines (VKA), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

Summary

Regeneratively produced 2-butanol is considered as a promising candidate in the context of future alternative fuels. Since chemical and physical properties of 2-butanol enable the substitution of fossil gasoline, this fuel could serve as a significant lever for CO2 reduction. Therefore, the suitability of 2-butanol for gasoline combustion engines in the existing fleet is examined in this article. 3D-CFD simulations have been used to compare mixture preparation based on the calibration of numerical models using results from the spray laboratory. Bench tests have been conducted on a turbocharged 3-cylinder gasoline engine with direct injection. This engine was operated with gasoline according to EN228, 2-butanol and blends of these fuels without any hardware modifications. Particular focus of the evaluation was on the thermodynamic efficiency and raw emissions.

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