Given that the 'other' Swedish truck manufacturer might get the hump with all this stuff about the new Scania R-Series here's a little story just to remind you that in 2010 Volvo will be the first truck manufacturer to start conducting comprehensive field tests with trucks running on Bio-DME. That's Di-Methyl-Ether to all your science buffs, or the fuel that's produced out of cellulose--which is pretty convenient seeing that as Sweden has plenty of the stuff on account of its timber industry. And why trial DME in a truck? Because, being a biofuel, it produces very low CO2 dioxide emissions. Indeed, according to Volvo, "In the long term it has the potential to replace 50% of today's diesel used for transport operations in."
The field tests are part of a joint project involving, among others, the EU, the Swedish Energy Agency, fuel companies and the transport industry. The aim is to assess the potential of DME as a truck fuel. Meanwhile, DME produced from biomass, known surprisingly as 'Bio-DME', has both high energy efficiency and low greenhouse gas emissions all the way from the source to the road. The raw material used is black liquor, an energy-rich, highly viscous by-product of the wood pulp industry. With Bio-DME instead of diesel as a fuel, carbon dioxide emissions are cut by as much as 95%. Now click through here to see what the trials will involve...
Between now and 2012 Volvo will supply 14 Volvo FH test trucks to selected operators at four different locations in Sweden with fuel company Preem building filling stations so the trucks can be used in regular regional and local operations. The first field-test truck is being unveiled today in Piteå, where the production of Bio-DME will take place. The DME truck will retain a normal D13 engine which, after some modifications to the tank system, injection system and engine management software, functions perfectly well with the biofuel. "Behind the wheel, it's business as usual. Performance and driving properties are exactly the same as in the diesel variant. The difference and the major benefit with Bio-DME lies in its low carbon dioxide emissions," says Mats Franzén, product manager mngines at Volvo Trucks.
The good news is that DME provides the same high efficiency rating along with a lower noise level in a diesle engine with the combustion process producing very low emissions of particulates and NOx. Whcih means you can use a simpler exhaust after-treatment. A DME-fuelled engine also provides higher torque at start-up, thus providing better driveability. So all-in-all told, Bio-DME an ideal fuel for diesel engines.
It's delivered in liquid form and stored in pressurised tanks which esnures it stays in liquid form till it reaches the engine injectors. Common rail technology is used to create the optimum high injection pressure. However, DME does have a lower energy content - just over half that of diesel oil - but thats' compensated for by fitting larger tanks. Simple solution...
"We're noting immense interest in alternative fuels among our customers and we feel that Bio-DME offers considerable potential. The field test will last three years and the subsequent evaluation will determine whether the project will lead to full-scale industrial production," Claes Nilsson, president of Volvo Trucks Europe Division tells Biglorryblog. And I can't help but agree. Of all the various alternative fuels I've seen so far DME and synthetic diesel seem to offer the best gains for the least disruption. In other words you can run an existing truck of them without too much trouble. I'm not alone in that thinking as the EU reckons Bio-DME has the potential for replacing just over 50%* of today's diesel oil in heavy road transport by 2030. However, the biggest challenge lies in creating an infrastructure for distribution of the fuel.
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