Aris Purwanto, Lin Po-Hung NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF DIMETHYL ETHER/AIR PREMIXED FLAMES

Abstrak

The increasing global demand for energy necessitates the development of cleaner and more environmentally sustainable alternative fuels. Dimethyl ether (DME) is identified as a promising candidate due to its high internal oxygen content and favorable combustion properties. The present study investigates the combustion characteristics of a DME–air mixture and compares them with those of a CH₄–air mixture using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations in ANSYS Fluent. Simulations were conducted for a tube with an 11.5 mm diameter and a 300 mm length under laminar flow conditions. Key parameters analyzed include temperature distribution and the mole fractions of CO and CO₂ throughout the combustion domain. The results show that the DME–air mixture demonstrates a more rapid initial temperature increase in the flame zone, although it attains a slightly lower maximum temperature than the CH₄–air mixture. CO formation in DME is initially higher but decreases more rapidly due to a more efficient oxidation process to CO₂. In contrast, CO formation in CH₄ is slower but persists longer within the domain. The CO₂ mole fraction distribution indicates that DME produces CO₂ more rapidly at the onset of combustion, whereas CH₄ displays a more gradual and steady increase. These findings suggest that DME exhibits more reactive, efficient combustion characteristics for converting CO to CO₂, underscoring its significant potential as a cleaner, more sustainable alternative to conventional methane-based fuels.