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Low-Carbon/Carbon-Free Fuels and Advanced Combustion Strategies

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "I2: Energy and Combustion Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2023) | Viewed by 9246

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chongwen Zhou

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Guest Editor

School of Energy and Power Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Interests: fuel combustion model; combustion reaction kinetics; hydrogen storage technology; quantum chemistry; chemical kinetics

Dr. Song Cheng

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Interests: gas phase chemical kinetics; engine and fuel interaction; uncertainty quantification and minimization; optimal decision making; machine learning

Prof. Dr. Yang Li

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Guest Editor

Science and Technology on Combustion, Internal Flow and Thermostructure Laboratory, School of Astronautics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Interests: combustion chemistry; chemical kinetics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Building a net-decarbonized transportation sector has become a top priority for the world. To meet this goal, transition to low-carbon or carbon-free fuels is one inevitable component of the long-term solution, particularly for systems that require a large power density and long travel distance (e.g., medium-/heavy-duty trucks, marine vessels, and aircrafts) where electrification is not practical. This poses significant challenges to existing transportation system hardware and to fueling infrastructure.

Building on this vision, this Special Issue aims to give an overview of the most recent advances in the field of low-carbon/carbon-free fuels and advanced combustion concepts and strategies, as well as their applications in various transportation systems. Potential topics include but are not limited to:

Low-carbon or carbon-free fuels for future applications;
Advanced combustion concepts and strategies for on-road/off-road vehicles, transportation/combat aircrafts, space shuttles, and rockets;
Fundamentals of pyrolysis, oxidation, and combustion of low-carbon or carbon-free fuels;
Application of low-carbon or carbon-free fuels in light-duty, heavy-duty, and aircraft engines;
Application of low-carbon or carbon-free fuels in space applications;
Application of low-carbon or carbon-free fuels in hybrid powertrains.

Prof. Dr. Chongwen Zhou
Dr. Song Cheng
Prof. Dr. Yang Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Low-carbon/carbon-free fuels
advanced combustion concepts/strategies

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 7826 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Ammonium Perchlorate and CL-20 on Agglomeration Characteristics of Solid High-Energy Propellants

by Xiang Lv, Rong Ma, Yuxin An, Zhimin Fan, Dongliang Gou, Peijin Liu and Wen Ao

Energies 2022, 15(20), 7545; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15207545 - 13 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1522

Abstract

Energy density, which is an important indicator of the performance of solid propellants, is known to increase with the addition of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20). However, it remains unclear how CL-20 affects the decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) and energy release. Here, the effects of CL-20 on the combustion performance and agglomeration of propellants were investigated. The addition of CL-20 decreased AP decomposition temperature and the energy required for the transformation of AP crystals from orthorhombic to cubic. The burning rate and pressure exponent of the propellant with 42% CL-20 were significantly higher than those of the propellant containing 20% CL-20. Thus, adding CL-20 to the propellant improves the energy characteristics and burning rate and the pressure exponent increases. At low combustion chamber pressure, the agglomeration of the propellant containing a high content of CL-20 will be blown away from the combustion surface only after staying on that surface for a short time. In this process, the probability of volume growth of the agglomeration after merging with other agglomerations greatly decreases, thus reducing the overall agglomerate particle sizes; further, the addition of a small amount of CL-20 to the propellant may lead to a reduction in agglomerate particle sizes. AP with a smaller particle size weakens the agglomeration in the combustion process and decreases the number of agglomerates with large particle sizes. These findings lay the foundation for the development of novel high-energy propellants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon/Carbon-Free Fuels and Advanced Combustion Strategies)

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12 pages, 4083 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Data-Based Engine Torque and NOx Raw Emission Prediction

by Zheng Yuan, Xiuyong Shi, Degang Jiang, Yunfang Liang, Jia Mi and Huijun Fan

Energies 2022, 15(12), 4346; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15124346 - 14 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1294

Abstract

Low accuracy is the main challenge that plagues the application of engine modeling technology at present. In this paper, correlation analysis technology is used to analyze the main influencing factors of engine torque and NOx (nitrogen oxides) raw emission performance from a statistical point of view, and on this basis, the regression algorithm is used to construct the engine torque and NOx emission prediction model. The prediction RMSE between engine torque prediction value and true value reaches 4.6186, and the torque prediction R² reaches 1.00. Prediction RMSE between NOx emission prediction value and true value reaches 67.599, and NOx emission prediction R² reaches 0.99. When using the new WHTC data for model prediction verification, the RMSE between the engine torque predicted value and true value reaches 4.9208, and the prediction accuracy reaches 99.60%, the RMSE between NOx emission prediction value and true value reaches 72.38, and the prediction accuracy reaches 99.2%, indicating that the model is relatively accurate. The evaluation result of the ambient temperature impact on torque shows that ambient temperature is positively correlated with engine torque. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon/Carbon-Free Fuels and Advanced Combustion Strategies)

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Review

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23 pages, 2616 KiB

Open AccessReview

Insights into the Reaction Kinetics of Hydrazine-Based Fuels: A Comprehensive Review of Theoretical and Experimental Methods

by Jin Wu, Frederick Nii Ofei Bruce, Xin Bai, Xuan Ren and Yang Li

Energies 2023, 16(16), 6006; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16166006 - 16 Aug 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1642

Abstract

While researchers have extensively studied the initial decomposition mechanism of Monomethylhydrazine (MMH, CH₃NHNH₂) in the MMH/dinitrogen tetroxide (NTO) system, the investigation of Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine (UDMH, (CH₃)₂NNH₂) has been limited due to its high toxicity, corrosiveness, and deterioration rate. Hence, the effects of UDMH’s deterioration products on combustion performance and gas-phase combustion reaction mechanisms remain unclear. This comprehensive review examines the existing research on the reaction kinetics of the three widely used hydrazine-based self-ignition propellants: Hydrazine (HZ, N₂H₄): MMH: and UDMH, emphasizing the necessity for further investigation into the reaction kinetics and mechanisms of UDMH. It also discusses the implications of these findings for developing safer and more efficient rocket propulsion systems. Additionally, this review underscores the importance of utilizing computational chemistry theory to analyze hydrazine-based fuels’ combustion and decomposition properties, constructing detailed pyrolysis and combustion reaction mechanisms to optimize rocket engine fuel performance and environmental concerns. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon/Carbon-Free Fuels and Advanced Combustion Strategies)

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35 pages, 17452 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Combustion Chemistry of Unsaturated Hydrocarbons Mixed with NO_x: A Review with a Focus on Their Interactions

by Ruoyue Tang and Song Cheng

Energies 2023, 16(13), 4967; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16134967 - 26 Jun 2023

Viewed by 4158

Abstract

Unsaturated hydrocarbons are major components of transportation fuels, combustion intermediates, and unburnt exhaust emissions. Conversely, NO_x species are minor species present in the residual and exhaust gases of gasoline-fueled engines and gas turbines. Their co-existence in transportation engines is quite common, particularly with exhaust gas recirculation, which can greatly influence engine combustion characteristics. Therefore, this paper presents a review on the combustion chemistry of unsaturated hydrocarbons and NO_x mixtures, with a focus on their chemical kinetic interactions. First, a comprehensive overview of fundamental combustion experiments is provided, covering mixtures of C₂–C₅ unsaturated/oxygenated species (namely alkenes, alkynes, dienes, alcohols, ethers, ketones, and furans) and three major NO_x species (namely NO, NO₂, and N₂O), as well as reactors including jet-stirred reactors, flow reactors, burners, shock tubes, and rapid compression machines. Then, two widely adopted nitrogen chemistry models are evaluated in conjunction with a core chemistry model (i.e., NUIGMech1.1) via detailed chemical kinetic modeling, and the model similarities and differences across broad temperature ranges are highlighted. Thereafter, the unique interconversions between the three major NO_x species are presented. In particular, the controversy regarding the pathways governing NO and NO₂ conversion is discussed. Following this, the key direct interaction reactions between unsaturated species and NO_x species are overviewed. Finally, the distinguishing features of the combustion chemistry for unsaturated hydrocarbon and NO_x mixtures are summarized, and recommendations for future research on this topic are highlighted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon/Carbon-Free Fuels and Advanced Combustion Strategies)

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