Prospects and Challenges of Dimethyl Ether as a Low Carbon Alternative Fuel in Internal Combustion Engines
Keywords:
Dimethyl Ether, Internal Combustion Engines, Spray Characteristics, Fuel Injection SystemAbstract
With fast-depleting fossil fuels and increasing environmental concerns such as climate change, the greenhouse effect, and global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions, research, and development in the field of renewable fuels is the need of the hour. Dimethyl ether is a potentially transformative alternative fuel. Its properties, such as a high cetane number (>55), absence of carbon-to-carbon bonds, low carbon-to-hydrogen ratio, high oxygen content (34.8%) in its molecular structure, and better autoignition property than conventional diesel fuel, make it a suitable fuel for compression-ignition engines. It is renewable as it may be produced using biomass and municipal solid waste, among other raw materials. Certain limitations of Dimethyl ether necessitate dedicated supply and storage infrastructure and a Dimethyl ether-compatible fuel injection system to make Dimethyl ether more viable as a futuristic transportation fuel. This review includes the feasibility and challenges of Dimethyl ether as an alternative fuel in internal combustion engines. The physicochemical properties, spray characteristics, advantages, limitations, and use of dimethyl ether in internal combustion engines are also discussed in detail.