Experimental and modeling study of NO formation in ethyl formate + air flames

Abstract

Premixed ethyl formate + air flames have been investigated at atmospheric pressure and initial temperatures from 298 to 348 K. The burning velocities were determined using the heat flux method for equivalence ratios from 0.6 to 1.5 and were compared with limited data available in the literature and with measurements for the C3H6O2 isomer, methyl acetate, obtained under the same conditions. In ethyl formate flames with the initial temperature of 298 K, the concentrations of nitric oxide were measured using laser-induced fluorescence downstream the flame front at heights above the burner of 5 and 10 mm and compared with similar experiments for methyl acetate obtained using the same equipment. It was demonstrated that the burning velocities, as well as NO concentrations in ethyl formate flames, are higher than those in methyl acetate at otherwise identical conditions. The NO mole fraction downstream the flame front of both fuels peaks in stoichiometric mixtures and decreases both in lean and rich flames. The detailed kinetic model developed for the C3H6O2 isomers using rate constants selected from the literature accurately reproduces all the new experimental results reported in the present work.