Spray Characteristics of Dimethyl Ether(DME) Fuel Compared to Various Diesel Fuels

It is recognized that alternative fuel such as dimethyl ether (DME) has better combustion polluting characteristics than diesel fuel, even though the cetane number of DME is almost the same as that of diesel. Characteristics of DME spray were observed experimentally under various ambient conditions using a constant volume chamber and a common-rail injection system. N-dodecane and LPG fuel sprays were also observed under same conditions of DME spray. Using spray images from backlight scattering and Mie scattering, characteristics of fuel sprays such as penetration and spray volume were visualized and quantitatively measured. The measurements showed that the penetration of early period decreased remarkably, because evaporation of alternative fuels became prosperous by the influence of flash boiling phenomenon under the condition of the low temperature and pressure compared with n-dodecane. The penetration of DME and LPG spray received the influence of temperature more largely in comparison with low density, because the specific surface area increased by atomizing in high density.