Low Energy Electron Scattering from Fuels

Abstract

In order to understand and optimize processes occurring during the ignition of plasma and its consequences in post-discharge for an internal combustion engine, especially considering the spark plug, we have produced in this work some basic information necessary to modeling spark ignition in alcohol- fuelled engines. Total cross sections of electron scattering by methanol and ethanol molecules in the energy range from 60 to 500 eV are reported, using the linear transmission method based on the Beer-Lambert law to first approximation. Aditionally to that, measurements and calculations of differential cross sections for elastic low-energy (rotationally unresolved) electron scattering were also discussed, for impact energies of 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 50, and 100 eV and for scattering angles of 5°–130°. The measurements were obtained using the relative flow method with an aperture source, and calculations using two different implementations of the Schwinger multichannel method, one that takes all electrons into account and is adapted for parallel computers, and another that uses pseudopotentials and considers only the valence electrons.