Methanol-to-gasoline (MtG) has the potential to become a carbon-neutral and high-quality fuel of the future, replacing mineral oil-based gasoline. MtG blends with 10% bio-ethanol (MtG E10) or 15% 2-butanol (MtG 2-Bu15) are compliant with the EN 228 standard for gasoline and are therefore suitable for both newly registered and existing vehicles.
Methanol-to-gasoline (MtG) is a new, synthetic fuel that could replace mineral oil-based gasoline in the future. OWI Science for Fuels GmbH, TU Bergakademie Freiberg and RWTH Aachen University are investigating the MtG production process for opportunities to optimize the process to produce ideal MtG fuels.
The MultiSchiBZ research project has been successfully completed with a innovation boost for the use of fuel cells in maritime shipping. Over the past two years, OWI Science for Fuels gGmbH has built and operated a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system in the laboratory.
OWI Science for Fuels gGmbH and Tec4Fuels GmbH in Herzogenrath will co-operate in the future with the National Institute of Engineering (NIE) in Mysore, India. The co-operation agreement, which was signed at the end of March, serves to promote research and technical innovations, academic exchange and entrepreneurial commitment on the part of students and lecturers.
Researchers at OWI Science for Fuels gGmbH have identified two real-time measurement methods that are suitable for determining the homogeneity of lubricating greases during their production process. They showed for a lithium soap grease and a urea grease that the methods refractometry and FTIR-ATR spectrometry are suitable for assessing the homogeneity of the thickener structure of these greases that is the state of this structure during the homogenization process.
In recent months, OWI Science for Fuels gGmbH has successively expanded its chemistry laboratory for the analysis of fuels and lubricants. The laboratory space has been enlarged and several new analytical instruments have been purchased to provide a broader range of analytical capabilities. "With the acquisition of several new large-scale instruments, we have significantly expanded our analysis portfolio," explains OWI Managing Director Wilfried Plum.
A modular heat storage system including an intelligent thermal process control system for the energetic utilization of industrial waste heat is the result of the successfully completed research project "ModulHeatStore". The heat store enables the intermediate storage of waste heat generated in industrial processes in the manufacturing sector for which there is no immediate use.
On November 23 and 24, 2021, the final event of the fuel research projects C3Mobility and REDIFUEL will take place after about 3 years of research work. OWI Science4Fuels was a consortium partner in both research clusters. In C3Mobility and REDIFUEL, the researchers each developed a new sustainable and climate-friendly fuel to technical maturity.
In a current research project of the Research Association for Combustion Engines (FVV), OWI Science for Fuels gGmbH and the Institute of Internal Combustion Engines at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology aim to develop a new method for quickly and reliably analyzing and predicting the potential for reducing particulate emissions from alternative fuels and fuel blends.
In a current project, OWI Science4Fuels gGmbH and the Institute of Plastics Processing are investigating the compatibility of paraffinic fuels with plastics commonly used for tanks and fuel-carrying fittings of oil heating systems. In particular, the focus is on the effect in existing consumption plants for heating oil. The interaction with the tank materials polyethylene (PE) and polyamide (PA), with protective film made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), with seals made of elastomers and with other polymers used in fittings is investigated.
