Advance of technology on methanol fuels and methanol vehicles in Japan

摘要

For securing the safety of methanol fuels, properties of methanol fuels containing 10-20% of gasoline were studied. Controlled fleet tests were conducted on Otto-type vehicles using M85 fuel. As a result, the M85 fuel with vapor pressure adjustment has been confirmed to be sufficient as the fuel for Otto-type vehicles in Japan. The technologies for the improvement of durability of fuel injector, improvement of cold startability, and reduction of formaldehyde emission at cold start have been developed. The controlled fleet tests were also conducted on diesel type vehicles using five city buses. The data relating to the fuel formulation, the emissions, and the performances, durability and reliability of the vehicles have been accumulated. Continuous measurement of formaldehyde in exhaust gas is now possible by the development of a second order derivative spectrophotometric method. The storage and delivery facilities in which methanol resistant materials are used have been confirmed to be well applicable.