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Advances in Propulsion and Energy Systems Utilising Alternative Fuels: Fuel...
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Advances in Propulsion and Energy Systems Utilising Alternative Fuels: Fuel Injection and Combustion Systems

A special issue of Fuels (ISSN 2673-3994).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 18239

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Steven Begg

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Advanced Engineering Centre, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4AT, UK
Interests: combustion and energy systems; thermofluids; atomisation; sprays; multi-phase flow systems; optical measurement techniques
Dr. Nwabueze Emekwuru

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Engineering Department, Harper Adams University, Newport TF10 8NB, UK
Interests: numerical characterization; optical visualization and measurements of atomization and sprays; combustion; thermal energy systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The transition to decarbonisation in the energy, propulsion and transportation industries, coupled with increasing global demand, is a challenge that will require innovative, viable and environmentally safe engineering solutions for fuels, fuel injection equipment (FIE) and combustion systems. The current scenario for the uptake in renewable fuels is complicated by the application, region and legislation, the maturity of the technology, safety and the necessary infrastructure. Biofuels, E-fuels (e.g., Power-to-X, Hydrogen, Methanol and Ammonia) and LNG are amongst a range of potential solutions that includes fuel pre-treatment methods, nanofuels and other fuel/combustion air additive mixtures. These options need to be considered in the context of ‘drop-in’ or dual fuels for existing systems alongside the need for new, advanced solutions, incorporating novel concepts and alternative thermodynamic cycles. The ramifications of alternative fuels upon the optimal fuel spray and combustion characteristics, directly impacts FIE and combustion system design, and therefore efficiency and emissions.

In this Special Issue, we aim to present research on recent advances and new interventions in propulsion and energy production systems utilising renewable and alternative fuels (including pre-treatment of existing fuels and combustion air additives), with a particular focus on the investigation of fuel spray characteristics, jet or gas interactions, mixture preparation, ignition and propagation, combustion performance and heat transfer. We welcome new, associated developments in FIE and combustion system design, applied in conventional or novel combustion systems. The scope is not limited to one sector but encompasses stationary energy generation and light to heavy duty applications, including shipping. Contributions should highlight the significance and impact of the work in the transition to reducing carbon, NOx and SOx in existing and new applications. We welcome contributions using both experimental and modelling approaches, from a fundamental level to system performance evaluation and validation. In addition, we are interested in the application of new experimental techniques and simulation approaches to the investigation of alternative fuel and combustion system strategies.

Dr. Steven Begg
Dr. Nwabueze Emekwuru
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. Fuels is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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

  • Decarbonisation
  • Fuel sprays
  • Combustion systems
  • Renewable fuels
  • E-fuels
  • Biofuels
  • Nanofuels
  • Optical diagnostics

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1843 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Advanced Biofuels in Internal Combustion Engines: Diesel/Fusel Oil/Vegetable Oil Triple Blends
by Rafael Estevez, Francisco J. López-Tenllado, Laura Aguado-Deblas, Felipa M. Bautista, Antonio A. Romero and Diego Luna
Fuels 2024, 5(4), 660-672; https://doi.org/10.3390/fuels5040036 - 18 Oct 2024
Viewed by 707
Abstract
In this research work, the feasibility of using fusel oil, a by-product of the sugar–alcohol industry, as an LVLC solvent in blends with straight vegetable oils (SVOs) and diesel was investigated. Concretely, diesel/fusel oil/sunflower oil (D/FO/SO) and diesel/fusel oil/castor oil (D/FO/CO) triple blends [...] Read more.
In this research work, the feasibility of using fusel oil, a by-product of the sugar–alcohol industry, as an LVLC solvent in blends with straight vegetable oils (SVOs) and diesel was investigated. Concretely, diesel/fusel oil/sunflower oil (D/FO/SO) and diesel/fusel oil/castor oil (D/FO/CO) triple blends were prepared and characterized by measuring the most important physicochemical properties, i.e., viscosity, density, cold flow properties, flash point and cetane number. An appreciable improvement in cold flow values has been achieved with triple blends, without compromising properties such as calorific value and cetane number. Likewise, the triple blends meet the viscosity and density requirements specified by the European quality standard EN 14214 and the American standard ASTM D6751. After characterization, the triple blends were used on a diesel engine, evaluating different parameters such as power output, opacity, exhaust emissions (CO and NOx) and consumption at different engine loads. The results indicate that as the biofuel content in the blend increases, engine power decreases while fuel consumption rises. Nevertheless, the values obtained with D/FO/CO are better than those for D/FO/SO and are also very similar to those of fossil diesel. Regarding opacity values and NOx emissions obtained with the utilization of the triple blends, they are lower than those produced by diesel. However, in the case of CO emissions, it depends on the type of oil used, with the samples prepared with castor oil exhibiting the best results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Propulsion and Energy Systems Utilising Alternative Fuels: Fuel Injection and Combustion Systems)
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23 pages, 10117 KiB  
Article
The Addition of Particles to an Alternative Jet Fuel
by Inês A. S. Ferrão, Miguel A. A. Mendes, Ana S. O. H. Moita and André R. R. Silva
Fuels 2022, 3(2), 184-206; https://doi.org/10.3390/fuels3020012 - 22 Mar 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 8045
Abstract
The expansion of the research on nanoscale particles demonstrates several advantages in terms of stability and an increased surface area to volume ratio compared to micron-sized particles. Based on this, the present work explores the addition of aluminum particles in hydrotreated vegetable oil [...] Read more.
The expansion of the research on nanoscale particles demonstrates several advantages in terms of stability and an increased surface area to volume ratio compared to micron-sized particles. Based on this, the present work explores the addition of aluminum particles in hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), an alternative jet fuel. To evaluate the influence of particle sizes, nano and micron particles (40 nm and 5 μm) in a particle concentration of 0.5 wt.% were stably suspended in HVO. This study evaluates droplet combustion with an initial diameter of 250 μm in a drop tube furnace under different furnace temperatures (600, 800, 1000 °C). A high magnification lens coupled with a high-speed camera provides qualitative and quantitative data regarding droplet size evolution and micro-explosions. Pure HVO and Jet A-1 were also tested for comparison purposes. The results reveal that the addition of aluminum particles enhances the alternative jet fuel combustion. Furthermore, decreasing the particle size and increasing the furnace temperature enhances the burning rate compared to the pure HVO. Pure HVO presents a burning rate nearly to 1.75 mm2/s until t/D02 = 0.35 s/mm2 at T = 1000 °C. When nanoparticles are added to HVO in a particle concentration of 0.5 wt.%, an improvement of 24% in burning rate is noticed. Conventional jet fuel and pure HVO do not present any disruptive burning phenomena. However, when aluminum particles were added to HVO, micro-explosions were detected at the end of droplet lifetime, regardless of the particle size. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Propulsion and Energy Systems Utilising Alternative Fuels: Fuel Injection and Combustion Systems)
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19 pages, 10898 KiB  
Article
First Study on Ammonia Spray Characteristics with a Current GDI Engine Injector
by Ronan Pelé, Christine Mounaïm-Rousselle, Pierre Bréquigny, Camille Hespel and Jérôme Bellettre
Fuels 2021, 2(3), 253-271; https://doi.org/10.3390/fuels2030015 - 25 Jun 2021
Cited by 53 | Viewed by 7391
Abstract
Using carbon free energy sources is one of the keys to mitigate climate change. Hydrogen promises to be one of these carbon free energies, but its storage is difficult and expensive. Ammonia, however, is interesting as it can store hydrogen safely and can [...] Read more.
Using carbon free energy sources is one of the keys to mitigate climate change. Hydrogen promises to be one of these carbon free energies, but its storage is difficult and expensive. Ammonia, however, is interesting as it can store hydrogen safely and can be used in combustion engines instead of hydrocarbon fuels. In this experimental work, the spray characteristics of ammonia under different air densities and temperatures were investigated in constant volume and were compared to a biofuel, ethanol, and a common fuel, gasoline. The Schlieren technique was used to capture images of liquid and liquid + vapor spray. The penetration length, the angle near the injector and the angle at half-penetration length were measured. The results show that the spray geometry of ammonia differs from that of the other fuels and that its sensitivity to air density and temperature is greater. The flash boiling condition at ambient temperature was explored for ammonia and indicated a wider spray at half-penetration length at phase change. Moreover, a semi-empirical correlation for penetration length as a function of physical parameters was found with a high accuracy for the global spray. These experimental data provide the first information about ammonia injection with a current spark-ignition GDI injector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Propulsion and Energy Systems Utilising Alternative Fuels: Fuel Injection and Combustion Systems)
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