Jet-stirred Reactor Research Articles

Cool Flame of Methylcyclohexene Isomers in a Jet-Stirred Reactor: Orbitrap Characterization of Highly Oxidized Products

Cool Flame of Methylcyclohexene Isomers in a Jet-Stirred Reactor: Orbitrap Characterization of Highly Oxidized Products

Oxidation of butane-2,3-dione at high pressure: Implications for ketene chemistry

Ketene (CH2CO) mechanism is a building block for developing combustion kinetic models of practical fuels. To revisit the combustion chemistry related to ketene, oxidation experiments of butane-2,3‑dione (diacetyl, CH3COCOCH3), considered as an effective precursor of CH2CO, are conducted in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) at 10 bar and temperatures ranging from 650 to 1160 K. Identification and quantification of intermediates are achieved by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, gas chromatography, and mass spectrometry. A kinetic model of diacetyl is constructed based on recent theoretical and modeling studies on diacetyl and ketene, which has been validated against the present data and experimental data of diacetyl and CH2CO in literature. Generally, the present model can adequately predict most of them, and better predict the methyl-related intermediates under wide pyrolysis and combustion conditions than previous models. Based on modeling analyses, the unimolecular decomposition reaction of diacetyl is the dominant reaction pathway for fuel consumption under different equivalence ratio conditions, especially at high temperatures. Under lean conditions, both the H-atom abstraction reactions by methyl (i.e. CH3COCOCH3 + CH3 = CH4 + CH2CO + CH3CO, R3) and by OH (i.e. CH3COCOCH3 + OH = H2O + CH2CO + CH3CO, R5) are important for diacetyl consumption, while under rich conditions R5 becomes negligible. As the most important intermediates in diacetyl oxidation, the main consumption pathways of CH2CO and CH3 are dependent on the equivalence ratio conditions. Under lean conditions, CH2CO mainly reacts with OH to produce CH2OH and CO (i.e. CH2CO + OH = CH2OH + CO, R10), while methyl reacts with HO2 to produce CH3O and OH (i.e. CH3 + HO2 = CH3O + OH, R20). In contrast, under rich conditions, the addition-elimination reaction between CH2CO and H becomes competitive with R10, while the CH3 self-combination producing C2H6 plays a more important role than the CH3 oxidation pathway R20. Sensitivity analysis of CH2CO shows that not only the reactions of CH2CO, but also those of CH3 are sensitive to CH2CO formation. This is because CH3 related reactions influence the distribution of radical pool, which determines the oxidation reactivity of the reaction system.

Reassessment of the High-Temperature Oxidation of Di Ethyl Ether through Ab Initio Calculations.

Recent investigations of diethyl ether (DEE) high-temperature pyrolysis and fuel-rich oxidation have highlighted the failure of existing kinetic models to describe experimental CO production. The DEE high-temperature pyrolysis and oxidation chemistry is thus investigated through ab initio calculations. Geometries, frequencies, and hindered-rotor potentials of reactants, products, and transition states of key reactions (fuel decomposition radical decomposition and H-abstraction reactions) are calculated with the B2PLYP-D3/def2-TZVPD method, whereas final energies are refined using CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV(D,T)Z. Temperature- and pressure-dependent rate constants are then derived from either canonical transition state theory (CTST) or ME/RRKM analysis with the inclusion of tunneling effect and hindered-rotor corrections and compared to experimental measurements when available as well as to previously suggested values. This new information is then merged with a C0-C3 core chemistry model and a low-temperature chemistry DEE subset from the literature to propose a new kinetic model for the combustion of DEE. This model is tested successfully against a large database related to the high-temperature oxidation and pyrolysis chemistry of DEE, including ignition delay times, shock tube speciation data, time-resolved CO profiles, laminar flame speeds, flame structures, and jet-stirred reactor data.

The pronounced NTC behavior of 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene at high-pressure oxidation

This study presents experimental and modeling results of the 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene (T124MBZ) oxidation in a jet-stirred reactor at equivalence ratios of 0.4 and 2.0, temperature range of 450–1000 K, and pressure of 12.0 atm. Compared with the oxidation at atmospheric pressure, a pronounced negative temperature coefficient (NTC) behavior of T124MBZ was observed between 622 K and 773 K under fuel-lean condition. A detailed chemical kinetic model involving 865 species and 5092 reactions was developed. In addition, the model was validated against experimental results of laminar burning velocities and ignition delay times. The present model reasonably reproduces these experimental data. The dominant consumption channels for T124MBZ are H-abstraction reactions on methyl groups by OH radicals. The H-abstraction reactions on the 1- and 2- methyl sites by OH radicals are the most promoting in pre- and mid- NTC phases, and H2O2(+M) = 2OH(+M) is the most promoting in the post-NTC phase, while the reaction on the 4-methyl site is the most inhibiting across pre-, mid-, and post-NTC phases. This difference arises from the fact that the dominant consumption pathway for 2,4-dimethylbenzyl and 2,5-dimethylbenzyl involves H-transfer, while the 4-methyl site cannot undergo an H-transfer reaction due to the absence of adjacent methyl groups. The competition between the two consumption channels of ·QOOH radicals (decomposition and second O2 addition), resulting in the reduction of OH radicals as temperature increases, leads to diminished OH production. This causes the emergence of pronounced NTC behavior at high pressure.

A comprehensive kinetic modeling study on NH3/H2, NH3/CO and NH3/CH4 blended fuels

Ammonia (NH3), as an ideal zero-carbon fuel, plays a positive role in mitigating global warming. By cofiring NH3 with highly reactive small molecule fuels such as hydrogen (H2), carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH4), the reactivity of NH3 combustion can be significantly enhanced. In this work, a detailed kinetic mechanism for NH3/CH4/H2/CO containing 146 species and 1099 reactions was developed and extensively validated with selected experimental data from the literature on laminar burning velocity (LBV), ignition delay time (IDT), and species concentrations measured in burner-stabilized flames (BSF), plug flow reactors (PFR) and jet-stirred reactors (JSR), covering temperatures of 273–2000 K, pressures of 0.053–40 atm and equivalence ratios of 0.1–2. In addition, the detailed mechanism was simplified to include 53 species and 353 reactions using three simplification methods. Kinetic modeling analysis showed that the chemical and transport effects of H2, CO and CH4 are the main factors enhancing NH3 combustion, which rising with the increasing initial temperature and decreasing ammonia blending ratio. Among the four reactants, H2 is consumed first, followed by CH4 and NH3, with CO reacting last. By modifying the Metghalchi-Kech power law equation, it was found that a clear linear relationship exists between LBV and the sum of the maximum mole fractions of O, H, OH, and NH2 radicals.

Experimental and modeling investigation of the oxidation of n-hexylbenzene: Insight into the formation of low-temperature intermediates

As vital components in transportation fuels, an in-depth understanding of the oxidation mechanism of n-alkylbenzenes is pivotal for minimizing pollutant emissions during combustion processes. However, previous research was mostly focused on high-temperature oxidation, while investigations on low-temperature oxidation of long-chain n-alkylbenzenes remains scarce. In this work, n-hexylbenzene (C12H18) was selected to conduct low-temperature oxidation experiments in a jet-stirred reactor. A series of crucial intermediates and products were detected and then quantified by the synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet radiation photoionization mass spectrometry (SVUV-PIMS). In particular, characteristic aromatic oxygenated intermediates with compositions of C12H18Oy, C12H16Oy, C12H14Oy and C12H12Oy (0 ≤ y ≤ 3) were measured, which reveal the occurrence of first O2 addition, second O2 addition, and sequential oxidation reactions. To disclose the crucial reactions that control the fuel decomposition and formation of oxygenated intermediates, a detailed kinetic model of n-hexylbenzene was developed. This model was further utilized to explore the oxidation behaviors of C6 to C12n-alkylbenzenes. It was revealed that n-hexylbenzene exhibits the strongest low-temperature oxidation reactivity, while C6C10n-alkylbenzenes display little reactivity under present conditions. In conclusion, the reasonable performance of this model in predicting the oxidation behaviors of n-alkylbenzenes indicates its potential application in elucidating the low-temperature oxidation chemistry of heavier n-alkylbenzenes.

An experimental study of surrogates of diesel from indirect coal liquefaction and the development of an improved kinetic mechanism

The increasing energy shortage and environmental pollution make the use of clean and efficient alternative fuels an effective way to solve the emission problem. Diesel from indirect coal liquefied (DICL) is a clean and efficient alternative fuel for diesel engines. The composition and chemical kinetics mechanism of DICL research contributes to a better understanding of combustion and pollutant formation process. The components of DICL were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The proportion of normal alkanes contained in DICL is particularly high, 93.82%, which proves that its reactivity is particularly good. The mixture of n-dodecane and iso-octane was selected as the surrogates of DICL. The oxidation process of DICL surrogates was examined by a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) over the temperature range of 500–890 K. A detailed kinetic mechanism of surrogates encompassing 1356 species and 6008 reactions was constructed. The critical reactions associated with the reactivity of surrogates were adjusted by the sensitivity analysis method to increase the accuracy of mechanism prediction. The predicted value of the improved mechanism is in good agreement with the experimental value. The improved mechanism can reasonably predict the oxidation process and the ignition characteristics of DICL and the improved mechanism can provide a good reference value for the subsequent analysis of combustion and emission problems of DICL. Abbreviations: C/H, C/H ratio; CN, cetane number; DDCL, direct coal liquefy diesel; DICL, Diesel from indirect coal liquefied; GC-MS, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; HMN, 2,2,4,4,6,8,8-heptamethylnonane; HXN, n-hexadecane; IDT, ignition delay time; JSR, jet-stirred reactor; LHV, low heating value; LLNL, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; NSRL, National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory; NTC, negative temperature coefficient; PICS, photoionization cross section; PRF, gasoline substitute; PSR, perfectly stirred reactor; SVUV-PIMS, Synchrotron VUV photoionization mass spectrometry; TOF-MS, time-of-flight mass spectrometer

Enhancing extinguishing efficiency for lithium-ion battery fire: Investigating the extinguishing mechanism and surface/interfacial activity of F-500 microcapsule extinguishing agent

Due to the high flammability and combustion enthalpy, electrolyte solvents such as dimethyl carbonate (DMC) are regarded as the main fuel in combustion reactions for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, to understand the combustion reaction kinetics of LIB fires and explore the efficient extinguishing agent, the chemical oxidation kinetics of DMC at 740–1160 K are studied through a jet-stirred reactor system coupled to the synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry and GC. The major consumption path of DMC is the H-abstraction reaction of OH∙ and H∙ radicals. CH3∙ radicals produce to CH4, C2H4 and other common alkane gases in LIB fires through H-abstraction reactions and compound reaction. On this basis, the extinguishing mechanism of F-500 extinguishing agent for LIB fires is studied. The hydrophilic (-[CH2-CH2-O]5) and oleophilic ([C16H33]-) groups give F-500 molecules the amphiphilic characteristics of adsorbing on the solution surface and associating inside the solution to form micelles. Based on the results of dynamic light scattering and cryo-electron microscopy, the size and number of micelles continue to increase and the structure of micelles gradually changes from spherical to rod-shaped, which enhance the solubilization effect. F-500 can strengthen the extinguishing effectiveness of water mist by capturing and encapsulating the DMC inside the water to form “DMC-F-500-Water” microcapsule. DMC is dispersed in the water, which leads to the heat loss and the reduction of concentration and flammability. Moreover, the adsorption of F-500 molecules along the solid-liquid-gas three-phase contact line can reduce the interfacial tension of water and promote wetting process, which leads to the larger spreading area and speed of evaporation. During the application of the extinguishing agent, F-500 agent can improve the cooling efficiency of water. This work provides a reference for the design and development of novel extinguishing agent for LIB fires.

Effect of methanol-water mixtures on the oxidation of n-heptane at low to intermediate temperatures: Experimental and numerical study

Methanol is widely recognized as a carbon-neutral fuel. This work used synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry (SVUV-PIMS) to study the oxidation process of water/methanol/n-heptane mixes in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) at a pressure of 1 atm, equivalence ratios (ϕ) of 1 and a temperature range of 500–1100 K. The results of the experiment indicate that the inhibition of n-heptane's oxidation at low temperatures (500–740K) is the primary manifestation of the action of methanol/water mixtures on n-heptane oxidation. The strong interactions among the components of water/methanol/n-heptane mixtures at low temperatures are primarily between methanol and n-heptane. The higher the methanol content, the greater the strength of inhibition of n-heptane oxidation. This inhibitory effect primarily results from the competition of methanol with ˙OH radicals. It is noteworthy that the chemical kinetic interactions between methanol-water mixtures and n-heptane not only manifest changes in the ˙OH radical pools but are also associated with the intermolecular chemical kinetic interactions between peroxyalkyl radicals (ROO˙) and CH3OH.

Thermal decomposition study of 1,3-dioxolane as a representative of battery solvent

As industrial compounds and organic solvent, 1,3-dioxolane (C3H6O2) is used in lithium-ion batteries arousing extensive interest. The pyrolysis of C3H6O2 at 150 torr pressure was conducted in the temperature range of 743–1013 K. In order to quantify the major products, experimental measurements of the photoionization cross-section (PICS) and photoionization efficiency (PIE) for C3H6O2 were carried out by using synchrotron radiation photoionization mass spectrometry (SR-PIMS). Twenty-three intermediates were detected in pyrolysis of C3H6O2 including the newly observed ketene, acetaldehyde, ethenol, ethanol, dimethyl ether, diacetylene and 2-propen-1-ol which played important roles in developing mechanism. The H-abstraction of C3H6O2 by H, CH3 and OH radicals were studied via high level ab initio calculations. EStokTP code was used to find and calculate optimal geometries, vibration frequencies and intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) at the theory level of M06–2X/6–311+G(d,p). Conventional transition state theory (TST) was used and Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus/Master Equation (RRKM/ME) was solved to obtain rate coefficients. For H-abstraction by H and CH3, the rates are increasing versus temperature, and rates of H-abstraction by OH show different tendency. These rate parameters were used to update the model of C3H6O2, which could well predict the ignition delay times (IDTs) in shock tube and oxidation data in jet stirred reactor (JSR) from literature. For the pyrolysis, H-abstraction reactions by H, CH3 and OH and unimolecular reactions contribute to solvent decay. Detailed pathways of C3H6O2 decomposition were also given and analyzed through this experiment and previous literature. The findings, including the experimental data and the calculations will assist to better understand pyrolysis characteristics of C3H6O2 as well.

An experimental platform for semi-autonomous kinetic model refinement combining optimal experimental design, computer-controlled experiments, and optimization leads to new understanding of N[formula omitted]O + O

Automated platforms could enable the unprecedented pace required for modeling the countless proposed alternative fuels relevant to future technologies, but existing platforms rely exclusively on automatically generated computational data and lack experimental validation. Here, we introduce an experimental platform for rapid kinetic model refinement that combines optimal experimental design, computer-controlled experiments, and optimization—each of which are tailored in novel ways to form a cohesive platform together. The optimal experimental design considers (1) realistic uncertainties in both experimental conditions and measurements and (2) diverse reactant mixtures that can include “chemical sensitizers,” which are not necessarily reactants in a specified Quantity of Interest (QoI) but sensitize kinetic information relevant to a QoI. Similarly, our High-Throughput Jet-Stirred Reactor (HT-JSR) features (1) rapid multi-species diagnostics that can measure dozens of species within minutes, (2) a flow delivery system that can prepare up to ∼10-component reactant mixtures, and (3) computer-controlled operation of all components. Finally, a post-processing code automatically retrieves data from the instruments, quantifies uncertainties in both experimental conditions and measurements, and produces self-contained files usable for optimization in our MultiScale Informatics software. This platform is demonstrated for the rate constant for N2O + O ⇌ N2 + O2 as the QoI where, unlike for N2O + O ⇌ NO + NO, proposed values at ∼1000 K span ∼5 orders of magnitude yet give equally good agreement with previous experimental data—suggesting that previous experiments fail to constrain the branching ratio of N2O + O. The results show that optimal conditions with more species as both reactants and analytes—particularly NO2 as both a reactant and analyte—enable unambiguous discrimination of the main products of N2O + O. Specifically, the data preclude N2 + O2 as the main products at ∼1000 K—contrary to most recently proposed values.Novelty and significance statementWe introduce a novel experimental platform for rapid kinetic model refinement that combines optimal design, computer-controlled experiments, and optimization—each uniquely tailored to form a cohesive platform. It notably employs high levels of automation, high-throughput multi-species diagnostics, and uniquely diverse reactant mixtures to accelerate scientific discovery. This platform is shown to achieve a goal that no previous experiment has: decipher the main products of N2O + O. This success—attributable to the platform’s unique design principles—demonstrates the effectiveness of this experimental platform as a tool for accelerating scientific discovery and kinetic model development.

Experimental and kinetic modeling study of 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene oxidation at elevated pressure

This work presents the experimental and modeling results of 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (T135MB) oxidation in a jet-stirred reactor at equivalence ratios (Φ) of 0.4 and 2.0, temperature range of 660–1020 K and pressure of 12.0 atm. 5 aromatic compounds, 5 oxygenated species and 6 light hydrocarbons were identified and quantified using GC and GC-MS. Compared with previous oxidation studies, 1-ethyl-3,5-dimethylbenzene, 3,5-dimethylbenzaldehyde, 3,5-dimethylphenol, ethylene and acetylene were newly detected. A detailed chemical kinetic model involving 911 species and 5370 reactions was developed and validated against experimental results of T135MB oxidation speciation at jet-stirred reactor and shock tube, laminar burning velocities and ignition delay times. Rate-of-production analysis shows that the dominant consumption channel of T135MB is H-abstraction by OH radicals on methyl sites, and 3,5-dimethylbenzaldehyde is a key intermediate in the oxidation of T135MB. Compared with atmospheric pressure, sharp consumption of T135MB was observed (the fuel conversion rate changes from 25 % at 838 K to 95 % at 839 K) under fuel-lean condition at 12 atm, which results from the rapid growth of OH radicals controlled by H2O2(+M) = 2OH(+M). Sensitivity analysis reveals that H-abstraction reactions of T135MB by OH and H on methyl sites are the most inhibiting reactions at Φ = 0.4 and 2.0, respectively, when T135MB conversion rate is 25 %. However, these two reactions become promoting at 95 % T135MB conversion. The H-abstraction reaction of T135MB with O2 on methyl sites is the most promoting at 25 % T135MB conversion, shifting to an inhibiting reaction at 95 % conversion.Novelty and significance statement: The novelty of this research is that high-pressure and low-temperature oxidation experiment of T135MB covering both fuel-lean and fuel-rich conditions was first reported in this work with abundant intermediates information. Rapid consumption of T135MB under fuel-lean condition was observed, and new intermediates such as 3,5-dimethylbenzaldehyde were detected which plays an important role in the fuel conversion. Additionally, a comprehensive kinetic model for T135MB was developed, which well predicts speciation, ignition delay times and laminar flame speeds under wide range of conditions. It is significant because the high pressure data is very important for the model validation since it is more close to the real engine-operating conditions. Moreover, the model provides insight on the high pressure chemical kinetics of the aviation surrogate fuel consumption and deepens the understanding of low-temperature oxidation of alkyl aromatics.

Experimental and kinetic modeling study of iso-propylamine oxidation with SVUV-time of flight mass spectrometry

Atmospheric oxidation experiments of iso-propylamine (IPA) were conducted in a jet-stirred reactor over the temperature range from 550 to 870 K at fuel-equivalence ratios of 0.5 and 2.0. A combination of synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet (SVUV) photoionization and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) was utilized to identify and quantify oxidation products and intermediates. Compared to the previous n-propylamine (NPA) low-temperature oxidation [Proc. Combust. Inst., 39 (2023) 295–303.], some intermediates and products were newly observed among the 34 detected species, including nitrosyl hydride, methylamine, acetonitrile, nitrous oxide, ethyl isocyanide, propanenitrile, 2-propanimine, n-methylformamide and 2-methylallylamine. A kinetic model consisting of 815 species and 4402 reactions was developed based on the iso-propanol model [Prog. Energy Combust. Sci. 67 (2018) 31–68.] and an ethylamine model [Prog. Energy Combust. Sci. 44 (2014) 40–102.]. The onset temperature of IPA and O2 consumption is 750 K under both lean and rich conditions. Rate-of-production (ROP) and sensitivity analyses were performed at 800 K to illustrate the reacting paths from parent fuel to major intermediates and products, and identify the most sensitive reactions. H2O2(+M) = 2OH(+M) is the most sensitive reaction with a promoting effect on IPA consumption while 2HO2 = H2O2+O2 is the most inhibiting one. Important N-containing pollutants like NH3, NOx, HCN, CH3NH2 and so on were analyzed with respect to their reaction routes. (CH3)2CNH is abundant due to the H-abstraction reactions between tC3H6NH2 radical with O2. This work was made for gaining a more comprehensive insight into the oxidation of IPA and make a foundation for further exploring amine chemistry.

Revisit the benzene oxidation at elevated pressure

The benzene (A1) oxidation was examined in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) within the temperature range of 880–1010 K at 12.0 atm under both fuel lean (Φ = 0.5) and rich (Φ = 3.0) conditions. Eighteen intermediates and products were identified and quantified by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC–MS). A kinetic model comprising 280 species and 1734 reactions was developed and validated against the experimental data to investigate the benzene reactions occurring at high pressure and low temperature. According to the sensitivity analysis, A1 + OH = A1- + H2O is the most promoting reaction for fuel consumption, while A1OH + O2 = A1O + HO2 and A1OH + OH = A1O + H2O exhibited the most inhibiting effects. HO2 radicals play an important role in the initial reaction temperature of A1 high-pressure oxidation, where the reaction rate of A1OH + O2 = A1O + HO2 is particularly critical. In comparison to previous works on A1 oxidation, oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs) benzofuran (C8H6O) and dibenzofuran (C12H8O) were newly measured and analyzed in this work. As one of the most important OPAHs species, the consumption pathway of C8H6O was updated to better describe the high-pressure oxidation. The C8H6O would potentially compete with A1 for molecular oxygen via the pathway A1 → A1O → C8H6O → decomposition products, and the process of decomposition enhances the oxygen depletion. Compared with previous oxidation studies at atmospheric pressure, the A1 initial reaction temperature shifted from 1000 to 950 K, and the temperature window of fuel conversion sharply reduced from 300 K to 70 K. Additionally, the model was effectively applied to predict the oxidation of A1 in a Jet-Stirred Reactor (JSR) over a wide range of pressures, from 0.46 to 12.0 atm. Furthermore, the developed model was compared with the laminar flame velocities (LBVs, ranging from 1.0 - 10.0 atm) and the ignition delay times (IDTs, ranging from 2.4 – 9.0 atm) data in the literature, and satisfactory agreement was obtained across a broad pressure range. The newly reported data and kinetic model provide helpful in further understanding the combustion mechanisms of aromatic hydrocarbon fuels.

Combined experimental and kinetic modeling study on the low-temperature oxidation of OME3/n-heptane blends

Experimental and kinetic studies on the blending of ethers or diesters with larger alkanes at low temperatures are enormously scarce. In this paper, the low-temperature oxidation (LTO) kinetics model of polyoxymethylene dimethyl ether 3 (OME3)/n-heptane (500 K–950 K) was established by using the jet-stirred reactor (JSR) to conduct the LTO experiments of OME3/n-heptane with different blending ratios. GC/MS was used to detect and quantify 17 kinds of stable products in the LTO process of OME3/n-heptane. The detailed OME3/n-heptane kinetic model was fully verified experimentally. The interaction mechanism of OME3/n-heptane was discussed based on the experiments and corresponding chemical kinetic analysis. Results show that the oxidative decomposition processes of OME3 and n-heptane were significantly different, the LTO and NTC process of OME3 were significantly weaker than those of n-heptane, but the high-temperature reactivity of OME3 was much stronger. In addition, n-heptane significantly promoted the intermediate species CH3OCHO and COCOC*O of OME3, mainly because n-heptane significantly prolonged the LTO of OME3 in the fuel blends. And the NTC process of the fuel blends was mainly dominated by OME3, while the LTO process was more influenced by n-heptane, which resulted in the weakened NTC of n-heptane and the significantly enhanced LTO process of OME3.

Comparative Study on the H-Abstraction Reactions of Isopropyl Acetate and Propyl Acetate by HO2 and OH Radicals.

Isopropyl acetate (IPA) and propyl acetate (PA) are recognized as promising biofuels suitable for applications as fuel additives and biodiesel models. The H-abstraction reactions with radicals stand out as the fundamental initiating reactions in the combustion kinetic models for IPA and PA. In the present work, the kinetic calculations of IPA and PA plus HO2 and OH radicals were investigated at M06-2X/cc-pVTZ//G4, M08-HX/maug-cc-pVTZ, and CCSD(T)/jul-cc-pVTZ levels. The thermodynamic calculations were obtained based on the G4 and CBS-APNO methods. Rate coefficients were calculated using both transition state theory and canonical variational transition state theory with tunneling correction at the temperature range of 250-2000 K. The total rate constants for the IPA + OH system were fitted as follows: k = 0.4674 × T3.927 exp(2128/T) (cm3 mol-1 s-1), and for the PA + OH system, the total rate constants were determined using the following equation: k = 0.0161 × T4.373 exp(2220/T) (cm3 mol-1 s-1). The rate coefficients of IPA + OH reactions determined based on the M08-HX/maug-cc-pVTZ level effectively replicate the experimental data, while H-abstraction rate coefficients of PA + OH by the CCSD(T)/jul-cc-pVTZ method accurately reproduce the experimental data. Refining the H-abstraction rate coefficients in the kinetic mechanism of PA, as proposed by Dayma et al. [Proc. Combust. Inst. 37 (2019) 429-436], has been achieved through incorporating the present calculated data, leading to the development of a revised mechanism. The validation of the updated mechanism against jet-stirred reactor data is presented, showcasing its effective performance in predicting JSR data.

Theoretical and kinetic study of the hydrogen abstraction reactions of ethyl propionate

Ethyl propionate shows great promise as a biodiesel molecule model. However, the current oxidation kinetic model falls short in accurately predicting its combustion behavior. Therefore, this study employed ab initio quantum chemistry methods to analyze the hydrogen abstraction reactions of ethyl propionate with various reactive radicals, including OH, O, H, CH3, C2H3, C2H5, HO2, CH3O and CH3O2, which play a critical role in refining the oxidation kinetics. Theoretical calculations were conducted to determine the rate constants and branching ratios for these reactions at temperatures ranging from 500 K to 2500 K using transition state theory, quasi-rigid rotor harmonic oscillator model, and tunneling correction. After updating the kinetics of hydrogen abstraction reactions in the oxidation mechanism proposed by Metcalfe et al., the modified model was validated by comparing the simulated mole fraction evolutions of ethyl propionate and major products in a jet-stirred reactor, ignition delay in a closed homogeneous batch reactor, and laminar flame speed with experimental data. The findings indicate that the modified model reliably reproduces the experimental data and significantly improves the prediction accuracy for low-temperature combustion of ethyl propionate when compared to the original model.

Exploration on the combustion chemistry of p-xylene: A comprehensive study over wide conditions and comparison among C8H10 isomers

Pyrolysis and oxidation of p-xylene over wide conditions were studied in this work in order to provide a comprehensive insight into the combustion chemistry of p-xylene. Concerning this goal, the pyrolysis of p-xylene was investigated in a flow reactor at pressures from 0.04 to 1 atm over the temperature range of 1000–1600 K. Key radicals, isomers and PAH products including three xylyl isomers, benzyl, xylylene isomers, styrene, benzene, fulvene, indene, naphthalene and phenanthrene, were identified and quantified using synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry. The oxidation of p-xylene was studied in a jet-stirred reactor at 10 atm, 800–1300 K and equivalence ratios of 0.5–2.0 with a residence time of 0.5 s. Oxidation products were quantified by using gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. A kinetic model for p-xylene combustion over wide conditions was developed based on our previously proposed p-xylene oxidation model and validated against the new experimental measurements in this work and literature reported experimental data, including flow reactor oxidation, laminar premixed flame, ignition delay time and laminar burning velocity. In the flow reactor pyrolysis, p-xylene mainly undergoes unimolecular decomposition to yield p-xylyl, which mainly suffers the H-loss reaction to form p-xylylene and isomerization reaction to form o-xylyl. The resonantly stabilized fulvenallenyl and benzyl radicals play an important role in the formation of bicyclic and tricyclic PAHs including indene, naphthalene, and phenanthrene. In the JSR oxidation, p-xylene is predominantly consumed via H-abstraction by oxygenated radicals such as OH, O, and HO2 forming p-xylyl, which can be oxidized by HO2 and eventually converted to p-methylbenzaldehyde. As the most abundantly produced oxygenated aromatics, further consumption of p-methylbenzaldehyde results in the formation of other observed oxygenated aromatics such as cresol, benzofuran, and benzaldehyde. The combustion chemistry of three C8H10 isomers, i.e., p-xylene, o-xylene, and ethylbenzene, were also compared in terms of pyrolysis and oxidation fuel reactivity, and PAHs formation and growth, showing remarkable fuel isomeric effects.

Kinetic study of H-abstraction and preliminary pyrolysis of n-decane in post-injection fuels

The combustion and pyrolysis process of n-decane was investigated via quantum chemical method to enhance the understanding of post-injection fuels. The hydrogen abstraction reactions were the main reactions that initiated combustion and pyrolysis of n-decane via H atoms and CH3/OH/NO2 radicals. The potential energy surface of hydrogen abstraction and preliminary pyrolysis was determined via high precision CBS-QB3 and M06–2X/6–311++G (d,p) methods. RRKM - Master Equation theory had been utilized to calculate the rate constants of isomerization and β-dissociation reactions in the temperature range of 300–2000 K. In this PES, the ε-site was the most advantageous site in contrast with others and the α-site has the highest energy barrier and was the most challenging hydrogen abstraction site. The isomerisation reactions of decyl radicals play a crucial role in the combustion and pyrolysis of n-decane at low temperature, particularly via 1,5-H shift and 2,5-H shift reaction. At high temperatures, the scission of the CC bond becomes the primary mechanism. Additionally, modified information was incorporated into the detailed model of n-decane combustion and pyrolysis. The modified model exhibited good agreement with experimental measurements of the mole fractions of various significant products in Jet-stirred reactor (JSR) experiments. The research provides a foundation for future investigations of n-decane combustion and pyrolysis support.

Low-temperature oxidation of n-butanol in a jet-stirred reactor: Detailed species measurements and modeling studies

n-Butanol is a new generation of liquid biofuel. A detailed understanding of the low-temperature combustion chemistry of n-butanol is instructive for its practical application in advanced low-temperature engines. The high-temperature combustion chemistry of n-butanol has been extensively studied, but its low-temperature combustion chemistry remains underexplored, especially the detailed species distribution. In this work, ozone addition was used to enhance the low-temperature oxidation reaction activity to achieve the oxidation of n-butanol in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) at atmospheric pressure and in the temperature range of 400–800 K. Synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry (SVUV-PIMS) was used for detailed measurements of species distribution. The identification of some intermediate species contributed to elucidating and verifying the low-temperature oxidation reaction pathways of n-butanol, such as butanal, C4 hydroxyalkyl hydroperoxides, C4 hydroxyl cyclic ether, and C4 keto-hydroperoxide. Furthermore, the formation of several elusive intermediates was also identified (e.g., C2H4O2, C3H6O2, C4H6On (n = 1∼3), and C4H8O2), highlighting the necessity of further kinetic studies on the low-temperature oxidation of n-butanol. Based on detailed experimental measurements, the n-butanol model was further developed to improve the model predictions by updating the rate constants for the H-atom abstraction reactions of n-butanol by the ȮH radical, adding the detailed butanal sub-mechanism, etc. Especially, the premature formation of CO2 in the present experiment was satisfactorily explained and predicted by the addition of a generally accepted reaction class (i.e., RȮ2 + RȮ2 = RȮ + RȮ + O2 of butanal). Overall, this updated model satisfactorily predicts both the ignition delay time reported in the literature and the species distribution obtained in this work.