Dimethyl Ether (DME)
Patrik Klintbom
Senior Specialist Alternative Fuels and Energy Resources
Volvo Technology Corporation
Business Areas
Mack Trucks
Renault Trucks UD Trucks
Volvo Trucks
Mack Trucks Volvo Aero Financial Services Mack Trucks
Volvo Penta Buses Construction
Equipment
Volvo Group
Volvo Trucks
Renault Trucks
Mack Trucks
UD Trucks Buses Construction Equipment
Volvo Penta Volvo Aero Financial Services
Volvo 3P
Volvo Powertrain Volvo Parts Volvo Logistics Volvo Technology
Volvo Information Technology
Volvo Group Real Estate – Volvo Business Services
Corporate Values
DME
• C2H6O
• Converted into liquid form at low pressure
• Infrastructure and safety similar to LPG
• An ideal fuel for the highly efficient diesel process
• Non toxic, not a GHG and environmentally benign
• Flexible energy carrier – A multi source and multi purpose fuel
General qualities
Feedstock
Production Process
End User
Natural Gas Biomass Coal
DME: Multi source – multi purpose
Bio-DME –
• High energy efficiency in relation to other bio fuels
• 95 % lower carbon dioxide emissions than diesel
• No soot particulate emissions
• Bio-DME can be produced from any biomass feedstock
• Black liquor gasification demonstrated
• Advantages from integration with pulp & paper mill
Using renewable sources
Greenhouse gas emissions
Best case Worst case
Climate impact
Synthe tic
diesel
DME – Dimeth
ylethe r
Me tha
nol Etha
nol
Bioga s
Bioga s+Biod
iesel
Hydro gen+Bi
oga s 110
25 23
7 23
11 22 8 8
11 5 3
5 3 40 63 100
Index
Fossil die sel
Biodies el
Source: AB Volvo
- heavy duty vehicles - well to wheel
Cost of avoided CO
2emissions
Source: European Commission, JRC 2008
Efficient land usage
- European conditions - Calculated as 3l
diesel eqv/10 km
DME makes the most efficient use of available land area
Source: AB Volvo
BioDME/FT production cost
Source: RENEW FP6
FT – Choren DME - Chemrec
BioDME Project
Production of DME from Biomass and utilisation as fuel for transport
and for industrial use
consortium
• Chemrec and Haldor Topsøe will develop and build a DME plant in Piteå
• Volvo Trucks will develop and build DME trucks and design a fuel injection system together with Delphi
• ETC, the Energy Technology Centre in Piteå, contributes its technical expertise
• Preem is responsible for Bio-DME distribution and builds fuel stations in Sweden
• Total is responsible for fuel and lubricant specifications
• The project is financed by the participants, the EU and the Swedish Energy Agency
BioDME - recent activities
Piteå
Stockholm
Göteborg
Jönköping
Inauguration of first filling station in Stockholm last week Inauguration of BioDME plant in Piteå last week
DME is easy to transport
DME like logistics already in some countries
• DME technically equivalent to LPG
• In some countries auto gas is already widely distributed:
51730 service stations in the world in 2007 (+9% vs. 2006)
– Turkey 6853, Poland 6700, Australia 3200, Bulgaria 3000, USA 2340, Canada 2500, Mexico 2500, Italy 2350, Germany 3200, Russia 2000, Japan 1900, France 1909, Netherlands 1900, South Korea 1533, UK 1400…
• For a global consumption of 20 Mt/y (+5% vs. 2006):
– Korea 4.4, Turkey 2, Poland 1.8, Japan 1.6, Australia 1.1, Russia 1, Italy 0.9, Mexico 0,8, USA 0,7, China 0.6….
• First DME refueling station set up in Shanghai in March 2007 ( Tank : 10 cubic meter, 8500 Liter of DME)
DME technology for heavy duty trucks
5. EMS
3. DME
injector 2. Pump 1. DME tank system
DME fuel
• A DME truck is a modified diesel truck
• With DME we can benefit from the advantages of the diesel engine
• Very robust and energy efficient engine
• Meet emission levels with less aftertreatment
DME technology for heavy duty trucks
Tank Pressure varies with surrounding temperature
Piping, filters
Two pumps increase the pressure ~8bar
High P pump, up to 400bar
BioDME tomorrow
• Biomass is a limited resource, must be used efficiently
• BioDME is a bio fuel for heavy duty (diesel engine)
• BioDME competitive already at relatively low volumes and low oil price
– High energy efficiency and yield
– Relatively low investment cost for production
– Simple technology for distribution (LPG), scalable
• DME can not be blended into existing infra structure Æ Collaboration needed with all players, society, producers, distributors, truck manufacturers, …
• BioDME project a unique demonstration, important step for BioDME
• Next step: Establish the necessary conditions to enable producers, distributors, truck manufacturers to decide to go for DME
