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Advanced Combustion Propulsion Technologies for Low Carbon and Zero Carbon Transport

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 2684

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK
Interests: combustion engines; alternative fuels; hybrid electric engines; advanced combustion process; novel engine concept

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
Interests: propulsion systems; alternative energy vectors; multi-scalar laser diagnostics; hydrogen; advanced combustion strategies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The transport sector accounts for approximately 23% of global carbon dioxide emissions. To decarbonise the transport sector, biofuels and other alternative energy vectors such as hydrogen and e-fuels can potentially provide over 50% of transport energy by 2050. Whilst there is a drive to move towards electrification to reduce carbon emissions, it is also vital to innovate developments in fuel combustion technologies for alternative zero/low carbon propulsion systems. These systems are not only more cost-effective than electric powertrains but will play a key role in decarbonising the aviation, marine, and heavy duty sectors, as the power requirement of these applications cannot be met by existing electric propulsion systems. Additionally, through hybridisation, these combustion-based propulsion systems will have similar or even higher system efficiencies as compared to alternative technologies, such as fuel cells. It is expected that ~41% of the vehicles will be powered with the hybrid powertrain by 2040.

Therefore, with an urgent need to decarbonise the transport sector in the next few decades, research and development of combustion technologies need to shift towards low/zero carbon fuels and hybridised systems. In this context, this Special Issue will comprise recent original works on combustion technologies for road, air, and water transport utilising low/zero carbon fuels, with the aim of disseminating research results and promoting their development and application. The topics of the Special Issue include:

  • Low/zero carbon combustion engines;
  • Low/zero carbon gas turbine systems;
  • Combustion process and mechanism with low and zero carbon fuels;
  • Fuel injection characteristics of low and zero carbon fuels;
  • Hybridised combustion propulsion systems.

Dr. Xinyan Wang
Dr. Midhat Talibi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 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

  • combustion engines
  • gas turbines
  • advanced combustion process
  • fuel injection
  • alternative energy vectors
  • hybridised combustion propulsion systems
  • optical diagnostics
  • numerical modelling

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 3993 KiB  
Article
Sampling of Gas-Phase Intermediate Pyrolytic Species at Various Temperatures and Residence Times during Pyrolysis of Methane, Ethane, and Butane in a High-Temperature Flow Reactor
by Zuhaib Ali Khan, Paul Hellier, Nicos Ladommatos and Ahmad Almaleki
Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 6183; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15076183 - 4 Apr 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1843
Abstract
Air pollution in many major cities is endangering public health and is causing deterioration of the environment. Particulate emissions (PM) contribute to air pollution as they carry toxic polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on their surface. Abatement of PM requires continuous strict emission regulation and, [...] Read more.
Air pollution in many major cities is endangering public health and is causing deterioration of the environment. Particulate emissions (PM) contribute to air pollution as they carry toxic polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on their surface. Abatement of PM requires continuous strict emission regulation and, in parallel, the development of fuels with reduced formation of PM. Key processes in the formation of PM are the decomposition of hydrocarbon fuels and the synthesis of potential precursors that lead to the formation of benzene rings and thereafter growth to PAHs and eventually PM. Methane, ethane and butane are important components of natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas, and are also widely used in transportation, industrial processes and power generation. This paper reports on a quantitative investigation of the intermediate gaseous species present during pyrolysis of methane, ethane and butane in a laminar flow reactor. The investigation aimed to further the understanding of the decomposition process of these fuels and the subsequent formation of aromatic rings. The pyrolysis of methane, ethane and butane were carried out in a tube reactor under laminar flow conditions and within a temperature range of 869–1213 °C. The fuels were premixed in nitrogen carrier gas at a fixed carbon atom concentration of 10,000 ppm, and were pyrolysed under oxygen-free conditions. Intermediate gaseous species were collected from within the tube reactor at different residence times using a specially designed high-temperature ceramic sampling probe with arrangements to quench and freeze the reactions at entry to the probe. Identification and quantification of intermediate species were carried out using a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). During methane pyrolysis, it was observed that as the concentration of acetylene increased, the concentration of benzene also increased, suggesting that the benzene ring is formed via the cyclo trimerisation of acetylene. With all three fuels, all intermediate species disappeared at higher temperatures and residence times, suggesting that those species converted into species higher than benzene, for example naphthalene. It was observed that increasing carbon chain length lowered the temperature at which fuel breakdown occurred and also affected the relative abundance of intermediate species. Full article
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