Numerical simulation of the evaporation characteristics of a dimethyl ether droplet in supercritical environment

•The spherically symmetrical evaporation of a dimethyl ether droplet in supercritical environment is modelled which real gas effects, variable thermodynamic properties effects and high -pressure vapor-liquid phase equilibrium are considered.•The interface between droplet and environment disappears when it attains the critical temperature of dimethyl ether-nitrogen system. Subsequently, the evaporation becomes a pure diffusion problem.•Supercritical environment leads to a larger initial swelling of the droplet, when the reduced ambient pressure is 2.0 and temperature is 1.5, the maximum swelling of droplet is 7.7% larger than the initial value.•Higher ambient pressure also leads a shorter fuel droplet lifetime in supercritical environment, When the reduced ambient temperature is 1.5, the reduced pressure is varying from 1.0 to 1.5, the droplet lifetime is reduced by 11.1%.•The effect of ambient temperature on the supercritical evaporation characteristics of droplets is similar to the effect of ambient pressure.