On the effect of Di-Ethyl-Ether (DEE) injection upon the cold starting of a biodiesel fuelled compression ignition engine

The use of biodiesel fuel in compression ignition engines has the potential to reduce CO2, which can lead to a reduction in global warming and environmental hazards. Biodiesel is an attractive fuel, as it is made from renewable resources. A major drawback associated with the use of biodiesel, however, is its poor cold flow properties, which have a direct influence on the cold starting performance of the engine. This paper is a consequence of a study on assessing the cold-starting performance of a compression ignition engine fueled with different blends of fossil diesel fuel and biodiesel. Through experimental investigations, it was found that the engine starting at -20°C was no longer possible in the case of using B50 (50% diesel + 50% biofuel made from sunflower oil). In order to “force” the engine starting in this particular situation, Di-Ethyl-Ether (DEE) was injected into the intake manifold. DEE being a highly flammable substance, the result was a sudden and explosive engine starting, the peak pressure in the monitored cylinder in the first successful engine cycle being almost twice the one which is usually considered as normal. Thus, to explain the observed phenomena, we launched this work relying on the analysis of the in-cylinder instantaneous pressure evolution, which was acquired during cranking, stabilizing and idling phases. Moreover, since the cause of the sudden and explosive engine starting was the DEE, by using a CFD approach, we also obtained results regarding the inter-cylinder distribution of the injected DEE.