Experimental and Numerical Investigation for Improved Mixture Formation of an eFuel Compared to Standard Gasoline 2021-24-0019

The increasingly stringent targets for the automotive industry towards sustainability are being addressed not only with the improvement of engine efficiency, but also with growing research about alternative, synthetic, and CO₂-neutral fuels. These fuels are produced using renewable energy sources, with the goal of making them CO₂-neutral and also to reduce a significant amount of engine emissions, especially particulate matter (PM) and total hydrocarbon (THC).

The objective of this work is to study the behavior and the potential of an eFuel developed by Porsche, called POSYN (POrscheSYNthetic) and to compare it with a standard gasoline. This investigation was carried out starting from a thorough spray analysis, including high-speed video imaging along with injected droplet size and velocity measurements by means of Phase Doppler Anemometry (PDA), followed by a series of experiments with a single-cylinder engine performed by Porsche, which provided data about this eFuel’s effects on an engine in terms of performance and emissions [1]. Two different fuels and two types of injector, a hollow-cone and a multi-hole injector, were used in this work.

The experimental investigations were supported by 3D-CFD simulations. The thermodynamic properties of the eFuel, after being experimentally measured, were implemented in the CFD code for a precise reproduction of the fuel behavior and the data collected from the spray analysis and the test bench experimental campaign were used to tune the injection model for the POSYN-fuel in terms of its adoption in 3D-CFD engine simulations. A reliable model of the single-cylinder engine test bench was also developed to study the influence of the new synthetic fuel on mixture formation and combustion for different engine operating points. The results obtained from the simulations can be used to optimize the utilization of this eFuel for better engine performance.