Kokjohn-Rothamer

DOE awards $2M Research Grant to study Propane blends

Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Sage Kokjohn and Co-Investigator Professor Dave Rothamer recently received a grant from the Department of Energy – National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) to fund their project ‘High-Efficiency Mixing Controlled Compression Ignition Combustion of Propane Dimethyl Ether Blends.’ They are one of two total awards made under this topic area!

The intended outcome of this work will be a detailed understanding of the potential emissions and efficiency benefits of using propane and propane DME blends in a mixing controlled combustion mode. The effort is expected to decrease CO2 emissions from medium-duty vehicles by over 15% with a total cost of ownership less than a current state-of-the-art LPG engine. The project period is April 2022 – March 2025 and the total award amount is $2,373,453.