60078 - A Study on Fundamental Combustion Properties of Oxymethylenether-2, Ome2 

Demands of energy will increase worldwide, while the use of fossil resources might decrease. The use of alternative and renewable energy resources is an attractive option to counteract climate change connected with fossil fuel burning. Moreover, improvements in fuel flexibility are a pre-requisite to meet the challenge of a sustainable energy provision in the near future.

It is currently discussed to what extent future energy demands can be satisfied by new unconventional fuels, preferably sustainable ones, also to be used in decentralized power generation, e.g. in micro gas turbines or in gas engines. However, these new unconventional fuels require comprehensive knowledge about their combustion properties. Only then, a safe operation and a maximum range of tolerable variations in fuel composition can be ensured.

In this context, oxygenated molecules, in particular ethers, are of high interest mainly for two reasons: They can be produced renewably, e.g., by exploiting the Power-to-Liquid (PtL) technology and they are promising considerably reduced emissions of particles and soot. In the future, ethers might play a role as an alternative fuel (blend) within the transport sector.

Oxymethylenethers (OME) are regarded as one of the most promising alternatives to fossil fuels, in particular in compression ignition engines. In the present work, we will report on a combined experimental and modeling work: The oxidation of mixtures of oxymethylenether-2 (OME₂) was studied. The focus was put on two fundamental combustion properties: (i) Ignition delay times measured in a shock tube device, at ambient and elevated pressures up to 16 bar, for stoichiometric mixtures, and (ii) laminar flame speed data, at ambient and elevated pressures. The experimental database was used for the validation and the optimization of detailed chemical-kinetic reaction models.

The findings of the present work will contribute to a better understanding of these specific ethers’ combustion, and thus, to the design and optimization of burners and engines as well.