India Launches its First Ever 100% DME-Fuelled Tractor for Sustainable On and Off-Road Usage

In a significant advancement towards a sustainable and renewable fuel-based transport system, researchers at IIT Kanpur have successfully developed India's first 100% Dimethyl Ether (DME)-fuelled tractor/vehicle for both on- and off-road applications. This breakthrough marks a new chapter in the country's quest for alternative fuels to reduce dependence on imported crude oil and promote a greener future.

DME, a renewable and indigenous fuel, has been adopted by various countries, including Japan, the USA, China, Sweden, Denmark, and Korea, to power vehicles. However, the use of DME in internal combustion (IC) engines remained unexplored in India until now.

Addressing the need for renewable energy solutions, researchers at IIT Kanpur developed a 100% DME-fuelled engine equipped with a mechanical fuel injection system. Compared to the baseline diesel engine, this innovative engine demonstrated higher thermal efficiency and lower emissions.

One of the remarkable features of the DME-fuelled engine is its significantly reduced particulate and soot emissions, along with almost no smoke generation, without the need for expensive exhaust gas after-treatment devices or advanced engine technologies. This makes it a viable alternative fuel and engine technology for conventional diesel engines used in agriculture and transportation sectors.

The research was supported by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), an institution under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and aligned with NITI Ayog's 'Methanol Economy' program. This pioneering research has the potential to reduce India's oil import bill and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by converting abundant domestic coal reserves, low-value agricultural biomass waste, and municipal solid waste into methanol and DME for various applications, including powering tractors and vehicles.

To overcome challenges related to DME's lower calorific value and higher compressibility compared to diesel, the researchers developed a customised high-pressure mechanical fuel pump capable of higher pressurisation. They also used customised mechanical injectors with larger nozzle hole diameters to enable DME adaptation and achieve diesel-equivalent power generation. The lubricity of DME was enhanced using lubricity additives, while DME-compatible materials were employed in the fuel injection equipment (FIE). Additionally, customised DME tanks were developed for effective fuel storage.

The researchers utilized 3D computational modelling to determine the optimal design for the fuel injection system. They further conducted investigations to study DME's macroscopic and microscopic spray characteristics using high-speed imaging and phase Doppler interferometry (PDI). Based on the findings, a dedicated FIE was developed for the DME-fuelled engine prototype, which underwent testing under full throttle performance (FTP) and part throttle and part load (PTPL) conditions at IIT Kanpur's engine research laboratory.

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The DME-fuelled engine exhibited higher brake thermal efficiency while producing negligible soot and significantly reducing HC, CO, and CO2 emissions. Results from this research have been published in renowned journals such as 'Energy Conversion and Management' and 'Fuel'. The developed engine prototype was successfully installed in a tractor and operated by the industrial partner, TAFE TMTL, Alwar.

The DME-powered tractor is expected to offer a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for agricultural applications. Its simplified engine technology, devoid of expensive and difficult-to-maintain emission control devices, makes it user-friendly and compliant with the most stringent emission regulations in effect now and in the future. Furthermore, the exhaust from the DME-fuelled tractor is smokeless, thereby improving ambient air quality in farming areas and the agricultural sector as a whole.

source: Dept. of Science & Technology

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