System approach for future diesel blends with sustainable fuels

Zusammenfassung

In the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015, the not-to-exceed limit of 2 °C global warming until 2050 was defined and in Katowice, 2018, measures were agreed how to control the activities of participating nations. To meet the mentioned target of global warming limitation, worldwide CO₂ emitting processes must be improved in all industry and life sectors. Hence, transport industry and therefore propulsion systems of passenger cars and trucks must reduce their CO₂ emissions as well. The European Union just recently defined the CO₂ reduction targets to 15% and 37.5% for 2025 and 2030, respectively, for passenger cars (based on the 2021 CO₂ emissions value for 100 km driving distance).

Beside full electrical and hybrid vehicles, the application of sustainable fuels in combustion engines is supposed to become an important brick for the required CO₂ reduction. These fuels can be based on bio sources or synthetically produced. CO₂ must be the carbon source for any of these sustainable fuels. This is taken either from bio sources or from industry gases or directly captured from atmosphere. Hence, during fuel production process CO₂ is captured (Well-to-Tank) and during the usage in any combustion process and therefore also for usage in propulsion systems (Tank-to-Wheel) this CO₂ is released again to the atmosphere. Overall, the CO₂ is moved in closed loop without any climate impact. If H₂ is used in the production process of the fuel, it has to be produced from green electricity, the same is valid for any energy required in the production process.

Continental, as an FIE system supplier, evaluated the bio fuel R33 and the synthetical fuel OME15% with respect to its fossil partner (B7 reference diesel fuel) on a diesel car. The fuels were tested on the Super Clean Electrified Diesel Vehicle (SCED) developed at Continental under WLTC and RDE driving conditions. The SCED (C-segment vehicle) shows very low NO_x emissions below 25 mg/km in WLTC and below 35 mg/km under all ambient temperature and driving conditions, due to the integration of Continental components (48 V Belt-starter-generator, EMICAT^®, FIE System) and sophisticated engine and after treatment system management strategies, all developed by Continental.