Comparison of renewable methanol and gasoline fuel spray vaporization using direct-injection technology

Considering the large opportunity to reduce net lifecycle carbon emissions through the use renewable methanol, we address spray technologies needed to overcome the challenge of wall wetting and poor vaporization for methanol and the need for improved computational modeling of these processes. High-speed extinction imaging followed by computed tomography reconstruction is utilized to provide three-dimensional liquid volume fraction for reference fuel injectors, to be used for model validation activities. The first injector is the symmetric 8-hole Spray M injector for the Engine Combustion Network, and the second injector is an asymmetric 6-hole injector designed for lateral-cylinder mounting. The degree of plume interaction and vaporization are characterized at representive injection conditions, showing substantially higher concentrations of liquid for methanol than gasoline even with preheated fuel temperatures (90 degrees C).