A clean alternative truck
Dimethyl ether (DME), a clean burning alternative, has been incorporated as the energy source for a new fuel system. It can be made from natural gas as well as from biomass which aids in CO2 reduction and has no soot emissions. DME can be used in diesel engines as well as fuel cells making it more versatile now as well as in the future. The AFFORHD project, in collaboration with a leading R&D organisation and a sub-contractor have designed, developed and demonstrated the potential of DME. Emerging integration issues were solved by incorporating the complete engine with the new fuel system, fuel supply and electronics resulting in a truck as the end product. Once the integration was completed, the overall system of the vehicle was tuned so that optimum drivability could be attained while keeping emissions and fuel consumption at the same level. Evaluating the vehicle's behaviour while operating on DME was of key importance in the experiment. Upon final tuning for field tests, the vehicle was checked through an EMC (Electromagnetic compatibility) test to avoid any driving problems related to interference of electromagnetic radiation.
