Search Results

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.

Investigations were performed, in which fuels and fuel components were compared regarding gaseous as well as particulate number (PN) emissions. The focus on the selection of the fuel components was set on the possibility of renewable production, which lead to Ethanol, as the classic bio-fuel, Isopropanol, Isobutanol and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). As fuels, a Euro 6 (EU6) reference fuel, an anti-spark-fouling (ASF) fuel, a European Super Plus (RON 98) in-field fuel and a potentially completely renewable fuel, which was designed by Porsche AG (named POSYN), were chosen. The composition of the fuels differs significantly which results in large differences in the exhaust gas emissions. The fuels, except ASF, are compliant with the European fuel standard EN 228.The experiments chosen were a variation of the start of injection (SOI) at different load points at a constant engine speed of 2000 rpm, amongst others.

Synthetic fuels from renewable energy sources can be a significant contribution on the roadmap to sustainable mobility. Porsche sees electro-mobility as the top priority, but eFuels produced by renewable electricity are an effective addition to support the defossilization of the transportation sector. In addition to the sustainability aspect, the composition and properties of eFuels can be optimized via the synthetic fuel production path. The use of optimized fuel formulations has a direct influence on combustion and emission behavior. The latter is one focus of the development of internal combustion engines in the wake of constantly tightening emissions legislation. The increasing restrictions on vehicles with internal combustion engines require the reduction of emissions. Particulate matter emissions are among others the focus of criticism. The composition and properties of fuels can reduce particulate emissions and the formation of unburned hydrocarbons to a high degree.

The goal of reducing the impact of road transportation on the environment can be reached by different approaches. The use of non-fossil synthetic fuels from renewable energy sources in the entire fleet of internal combustion engine vehicles is only one promising pathway to minimize the vehicle’s carbon footprint during the use phase. The steadily tightening emissions legislation confront the developers of future combustion engines with major challenges: Historically, the chemical and physical improvement of the combustion process, tail pipe emissions reduction and the development of optimized after-treatment systems were linked to improvements in fuel quality. In order to further decrease exhaust gas emissions, the optimization of the chemical composition of renewable fuels are a basic requirement.