NOx/e-fuels interactions in combustion engines

Modelling the e-fuel/NOx interactions in internal combustion engines

Context and Objectives

The current energy transition is witnessing the rising interest towards e-fuels, i.e. energy carriers able to store the excess energy obtained from renewable sources like wind or sun, then releasing it “on demand”. For this reason, a comprehensive description of their chemistry needs to be achieved. Specifically, their interaction with Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) is of the utmost importance in internal combustion engines, due to their presence because of the Exhaust Gas Recirculation. The objective of this thesis is obtaining a fundamental understanding of the chemical interactions between e-fuels, and NOx, and integrating such knowledge within a detailed kinetic mechanism, necessary to ensure a predictive degree to the CFD simulations.

Methods and Tools

OpenSMOKE++ suite for ideal reactor simulations, Python post-processing tools.