Low-temperature Combustion Chemistry Research Articles

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.

Experimental and kinetic modeling study of the low- temperature and high-pressure combustion chemistry of straight chain pentanol isomers: 1-, 2- and 3-Pentanol

Pentanols have received significant attention as a potential alternative fuel or fuel additive owing to their high energy densities and low vapor pressure. The development of robust chemical kinetic models for alternative fuels which can provide accurate and efficient predictions of combustion performance across a wide range of engine relevant conditions is important in developing cleaner, more efficient combustors. Although the high temperature oxidation kinetics of pentanol isomers has been researched considerably, their low temperature combustion chemistry needs further investigation. While previously proposed low temperature mechanisms for 1-pentanol based on analogy and rate rules need further refinement, the low temperature oxidation kinetics of 2-pentanol and 3-pentanol has not been studied previously by any means, experimentally or theoretically. A newly developed kinetic mechanism is presented in this work for the three straight chain pentanol isomers: 1-, 2- and 3-pentanol. Low temperature kinetics is based on a recent study by Lockwood et al., 2022 [20] involving theoretical calculations at the CCSD(T)/cc-pV∞Z level of theory for the oxidation pathways involving alcohol peroxy radicals. Rate of production analyses performed in this study highlight the importance of the newly added pressure-dependent reactions of the α-alcohol peroxy radical forming an RȮ2 adduct. While the α-alcohol fuel radical reacts with O2 to directly decompose via a chemically activated pathway at low pressures, the formation of the RȮ2 adduct is favored at high pressures. The detailed model is comprehensively validated against new ignition experiments at low temperature and high pressure, together with the wide range of data available in the literature. Both qualitative and quantitative predictions of the experimental data using the proposed kinetic model are satisfactory for all three pentanol isomers studied here.

A combustion chemistry study of tetramethylethylene in a laminar premixed low-pressure hydrogen flame

The combustion chemistry of tetramethylethylene (TME) was studied in a premixed laminar low-pressure hydrogen flame by combined photoionization molecular-beam mass spectrometry (PI-MBMS) and photoelectron photoion coincidence (PEPICO) spectroscopy at the Swiss Light Source (SLS) of the Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen, Switzerland. This hexene isomer with the chemical formula C6H12 has a special structure with only allylic CH bonds. Several combustion intermediate species were identified by their photoionization and threshold photoelectron spectra, respectively. The experimental mole fraction profiles were compared to modeling results from a recently published kinetic reaction mechanism that includes a TME sub-mechanism to describe the TME/H2 flame structure. The first stable intermediate species formed early in the flame front during the combustion of TME are 2-methyl-2-butene (C5H10) at a mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of 70, 2,3-dimethylbutane (C6H14) at m/z 86, and 3-methyl-1,2-butadiene (C5H8) at m/z 68. Isobutene (C4H8) is also a dominant intermediate in the combustion of TME and results from consumption of 2-methyl-2-butene. In addition to these hydrocarbons, some oxygenated species are formed due to low-temperature combustion chemistry in the consumption pathway of TME under the investigated flame conditions.

Extreme Low-Temperature Combustion Chemistry: Ozone-Initiated Oxidation of Methyl Hexanoate.

The accelerating chemical effect of ozone addition on the oxidation chemistry of methyl hexanoate [CH3(CH2)4C(═O)OCH3] was investigated over a temperature range from 460 to 940 K. Using an externally heated jet-stirred reactor at p = 700 Torr (residence time τ = 1.3 s, stoichiometry φ = 0.5, 80% argon dilution), we explored the relevant chemical pathways by employing molecular-beam mass spectrometry with electron and single-photon ionization to trace the temperature dependencies of key intermediates, including many hydroperoxides. In the absence of ozone, reactivity is observed in the so-called low-temperature chemistry (LTC) regime between 550 and 700 K, which is governed by hydroperoxides formed from sequential O2 addition and isomerization reactions. At temperatures above 700 K, we observed the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) regime, in which the reactivity decreases with increasing temperatures, until near 800 K, where the reactivity increases again. Upon addition of ozone (1000 ppm), the overall reactivity of the system is dramatically changed due to the time scale of ozone decomposition in comparison to fuel oxidation time scales of the mixtures at different temperatures. While the LTC regime seems to be only slightly affected by the addition of ozone with respect to the identity and quantity of the observed intermediates, we observed an increased reactivity in the intermediate NTC temperature range. Furthermore, we observed experimental evidence for an additional oxidation regime in the range near 500 K, herein referred to as the extreme low-temperature chemistry (ELTC) regime. Experimental evidence and theoretical rate constant calculations indicate that this ELTC regime is likely to be initiated by H abstraction from methyl hexanoate via O atoms, which originate from thermal O3 decomposition. The theoretical calculations show that the rate constants for methyl ester initiation via abstraction by O atoms increase dramatically with the size of the methyl ester, suggesting that ELTC is likely not important for the smaller methyl esters. Experimental evidence is provided indicating that, similar to the LTC regime, the chemistry in the ELTC regime is dominated by hydroperoxide chemistry. However, mass spectra recorded at various reactor temperatures and at different photon energies provide experimental evidence of some differences in chemical species between the ELTC and the LTC temperature ranges.

A lumped kinetic model for high-temperature pyrolysis and combustion of 50 surrogate fuel components and their mixtures

Wide distillation fuels (WDF) and gasoline/diesel blends have been proposed as new fuel formulations for advanced combustion engines. Recent studies have shown that multi-component gasoline and diesel surrogate mixtures can accurately mimic the distillation curve, functional group or hydrocarbon class distribution, average molecular weight, and other combustion properties of real fuels. This work presents an updated decoupling methodology to construct a 50-component fuel model, which consists of a skeletal sub-mechanism for large hydrocarbon components present in gasoline, jet and diesel fuels, a reduced C5-Cn mechanism, and a detailed C0-C4 mechanism. The entire model contains 156 species and 1132 reactions. The chemical classes covered include n-alkanes, iso-alkanes, cyclo-alkanes and alkylbenzenes. Compared with the comprehensive detailed kinetic modeling approach, the present methodology largely reduces the model size due to the use of skeletal fuel mechanisms. Compared with the traditional decoupling methodology, our approach increases the model accuracy since it contains a detailed C0-C4 mechanism instead of a reduced C2-C3 mechanism. The present model was validated against experimental targets at high temperatures, including the pyrolysis and oxidation speciation data and global parameters such as ignition delay times and laminar flame speeds from 30 pure fuel components and 12 fuel mixtures. In general, the present model performs well against these experimental data, suggesting this methodology is a suitable approach for developing accurate kinetic models for multi-component fuels. Future work will extend the present framework to predict low-temperature combustion chemistry of multi-component fuels.

TDLAS-based in situ diagnostics for the combustion of preheated ultra–lean dimethyl ether/air mixtures

A combined experimental and modelling study of the structure of a laminar premixed ultra–lean (ϕ=0.33) dimethyl ether/air flame at atmospheric pressure and an elevated temperature was carried out. The work aimed to apply tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy to the identification of various flame regimes that are relevant to the oxidation of dimethyl ether. One-dimensional calculations employing burner-stabilized flame assumptions confirmed the significance of low-temperature combustion chemistry. A stable double-flame structure was predicted using state-of-the-art chemical kinetic schemes and was revealed by the experimental observations. The feasibility of the novel experimental strategy based on the preheated flat-flame burner and scanned wavelength modulation spectroscopy was investigated in this context. The absorption features of hot water and the hydroxyl radical near 1572 nm were selected as appropriate targets for distinguishing the transition from the cool flame regime to the hot flame regime. Discrepancies in the water line position and intensities were found within the 1509 nm region.

Challenges and perspectives of combustion chemistry research

In the past decades, combustion chemistry research grew rapidly due to the development of combustion diagnostic methods, quantum chemistry methods, kinetic theory, and computational techniques. A lot of kinetic models have been developed for fuels from hydrogen to transportation fuel surrogates. Besides, multi-scale research method has been widely adopted to develop comprehensive models, which are expected to cover combustion conditions in real combustion devices. However, critical gaps still remain between the laboratory research and real engine application due to the insufficient research work on high pressure and low temperature combustion chemistry. Besides, there is also a great need of predictive pollutant formation model. Further development of combustion chemistry research depends on a closer interaction of combustion diagnostics, theoretical calculation and kinetic model development. This paper summarizes the recent progress in combustion chemistry research briefly and outlines the challenges and perspectives.

The influence of various oxygenated functional groups in carbonyl and ether compounds on compression ignition and exhaust gas emissions

This study relates to the development of future biofuels and it reports the effects of fuel molecular structure of various oxygenated compounds on compression auto ignition and exhaust emissions. The experimental study was conducted on a single cylinder compression ignition research engine. Ethers and various carbonyl compounds were investigated, including ketones, carboxylic acids and methyl esters. The results for these compounds were also compared to those for alcohol and alkane combustion obtained in a previous study. It was found that oxygen-bearing functional groups within various C8–C16 fuel molecules have a significant influence on the ignition delay and on engine in-cylinder temperatures. Carbonyl compounds had longer ignition delays compared to the corresponding alkanes, whereas ether compounds decreased the ignition delay. It is suggested that these observations relate to the changes in the relative ease of hydrogen abstraction and the ability of a fuel peroxy radical to undergo isomerization during the low-temperature combustion chemistry preceding ignition. In addition, it was observed that, both moving a carbonyl group closer to the centre of the carbon chain of a molecule and adding a double bond to a carboxylic acid increased the ignition delay. Oxygen in the fuel molecule, excluding carboxylic acids, was observed to increase the NOx emissions and decrease the mass of particulates in the exhaust gas.

Recent progress and challenges in fundamental combustion research

More than 80% of world energy is converted by combustion. Development of efficient next generation advanced engines by using alternative fuels and operating at extreme conditions is one of the most important solutions to increase energy sustainability. To realize the advanced engine design, the challenges in combustion research are therefore to advance fundamental understanding of combustion chemistry and dynamics from molecule scales to engine scales and to develop quantitatively predictive tools and innovative combustion technologies. This review will present the recent progresses and technical challenges in fundamental combustion research in seven areas including advanced engine concepts using low temperature fuel chemistry, new combustion phenomena in extreme conditions, alternative and surrogate fuels, multi-scale modeling, high pressure combustion kinetics, experimental methods and advanced combustion diagnostics Firstly, new engine concepts such as the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI), Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI), and pressure gain combustion will be introduced. The impact of low temperature combustion chemistry of fuels on combustion in advanced engines will be demonstrated. This is followed by the discussions of the needs of fundamental combustion research for new engine technologies. Secondly, combustion phenomena and flame regimes involving new combustion concepts such as fuel and thermal stratifications, plasma assisted combustion, and cool flames at extreme conditions will be analyzed. Thirdly, alternative fuels and methodologies to formulate surrogate fuel mixtures to model the target combustion properties of real fuels will be presented. A new concept of radical index and transport weighted enthalpy will be introduced to rank the fuel reactivity and to assess the impact of molecular structure on combustion properties The success and limitations of the current surrogate fuel models will be discussed by using jet fuels and biodiesels as examples. Fourthly, the difficulty of modeling large kinetic mechanism of real fuel will be discussed The multi-time scale (MTS) method and the correlated dynamic adaptive chemistry (CO-DAC) method for kinetic model reduction and computationally efficient modeling will be compared and analyzed. Fifthly, the progress and challenges of high pressure combustion kinetics for hydrogen and larger hydrocarbons will be discussed. The important pressuredependent reaction pathways and key intermediate species at high pressure will be analyzed. Fundamental experimental methods for combustion and their uncertainties in acquiring combustion properties for the validation of kinetic mechanism will be discussed. Finally, recent progress in diagnostics of HO2, H2O2, RO2, ketohydroperoxide, and other key intermediate species for high pressure kinetic mechanism development will be summarized. Conclusions and opportunities of future combustion research will be made.

Low-temperature combustion chemistry of novel biofuels: resonance-stabilized QOOH in the oxidation of diethyl ketone

The Cl˙ initiated oxidation reactions of diethyl ketone (DEK; 3-pentanone; (CH3CH2)2C=O), 2,2,4,4-d4-diethyl ketone (d4-DEK; (CH3CD2)2C=O) and 1,1,1,5,5,5-d6-diethyl ketone (d6-DEK; (CD3CH2)2C=O) are studied at 8 Torr and 550-650 K using Cl2 as a source for the pulsed-photolytic generation of Cl˙. Products are monitored as a function of reaction time, mass, and photoionization energy using multiplexed photoionization mass spectrometry with tunable synchrotron radiation. Adding a large excess of O2 to the reacting flow allows determination of products resulting from oxidation of the initial primary (Rp) and secondary (Rs) radicals formed via the Cl˙ + DEK reaction. Because of resonance stabilization, the secondary DEK radical (3-oxopentan-2-yl) reaction with O2 has a shallow alkyl peroxy radical (RsO2) well and no energetically low-lying product channels. This leads to preferential back dissociation of RsO2 and a greater likelihood of consumption of Rs by competing radical-radical reactions. On the other hand, reaction of the primary DEK radical (3-oxopentan-1-yl) with O2 has several accessible bimolecular product channels. Vinyl ethyl ketone is observed from HO2-elimination from the DEK alkylperoxy radicals, and small-molecule products are identified from β-scission reactions and decomposition reactions of oxy radical secondary products. Although channels yielding OH + 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-membered ring cyclic ether products are possible in the oxidation of DEK, at the conditions of this study (8 Torr, 550-650 K) only the 5-membered ring, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one, is observed in significant quantities. Computation of relevant stationary points on the potential energy surfaces for the reactions of Rp and Rs with O2 indicates this cyclic ether is formed via a resonance-stabilized hydroperoxyalkyl radical (QOOH) intermediate, formed from isomerization of the RpO2 radical.

Quantification of OH and HO 2 radicals during the low-temperature oxidation of hydrocarbons by Fluorescence Assay by Gas Expansion technique

•OH and •HO2 radicals are known to be the key species in the development of ignition. A direct measurement of these radicals under low-temperature oxidation conditions (T = 550-1,000 K) has been achieved by coupling a technique named fluorescence assay by gas expansion, an experimental technique designed for the quantification of these radicals in the free atmosphere, to a jet-stirred reactor, an experimental device designed for the study of low-temperature combustion chemistry. Calibration allows conversion of relative fluorescence signals to absolute mole fractions. Such radical mole fraction profiles will serve as a benchmark for testing chemical models developed to improve the understanding of combustion processes.

Effects of buffer gas composition on autoignition

This work quantifies the chemical kinetic and thermal effects of buffer gas composition on autoignition of three fuels at conditions relevant to engines, combustors, and experimental facilities used to study ignition kinetics. Computational simulations of autoignition of iso-octane, n-heptane, and of n-butanol were used to characterize the effects of buffer gas composition on ignition delay time and heat release rate. Stoichiometric mixtures, ϕ=1.0, and a temperature range of 600–1100K were considered. Iso-octane and n-heptane were studied at initial pressures of 9.0atm and 60.0atm, and n-butanol was studied at initial pressures of 3.2atm and 60.0atm. Two dilution levels of buffer gas to O2 of 3.76:1 (mole basis) and 5.64:1 were considered (∼21% and ∼15% O2 respectively, mole basis). The fuels and simulation conditions were selected based on the relevance to engine operating conditions and previously published ignition studies. The buffer gases considered were argon, nitrogen, water, and carbon dioxide. Simulation results predicted changes of greater than a factor of 2 in ignition delay time and heat release rate as a function of buffer gas composition in the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) region for n-heptane and iso-octane. Outside the NTC region, the predicted effects of changes in buffer gas composition were small (<20%); however, experimental data for n-heptane indicate larger effects of buffer gas composition on ignition delay time at higher temperatures (>a factor of 2). The heat release rates were also sensitive to buffer gas composition, with carbon dioxide exhibiting relatively high levels of early and late heat release relative to the other buffer gases. Sensitivity analysis of the third-body collision efficiencies for the buffer gases showed the effects of uncertainties in the third body collision efficiencies on ignition delay time and heat release rate. The results highlight the significance of buffer gas composition on low-temperature combustion chemistry, particularly via H2O2 and HO2 decomposition and recombination reactions.

Hexadecane mechanisms: Comparison of hand-generated and automatically generated with pathways

In this paper, the automatically generated mechanism for hexadecane with both high and low temperature chemistry included is compared to a systematically generated mechanism by hand. In contrast to other systems for automatic generation, the REACTION system uses pathways to organize the application of reaction classes. A pathway is a sequence of reaction classes where only those species produced by the previous step of the pathway are used in the current step of the pathway. This “controlled” generation process not only mimics what is done by hand, but also helps to limit the size of the generated mechanisms. Both systematic reaction by reaction comparisons and numerical simulation (zero-dimensional constant volume) comparisons were done and the mechanisms were found to have minor differences. Both mechanisms used the same set of reaction classes to model the high and low temperature combustion chemistry of all n-alkanes up to hexadecane. In addition, a sensitivity analysis of all the reaction classes was performed. The generated mechanism has 2176 species and 7269 (reversible) reactions.

Exploring the Ring-Opening Pathways in the Reaction of Morpholinyl Radicals with Oxygen Molecule

Quantum chemistry calculations using hybrid density functional theory and the coupled-cluster method have been performed to investigate the ring-opening pathways in the oxidation of morpholine (1-oxa-4-aza-cyclohexane). Hydrogen abstraction can form two different carbon-centered radicals, morpholin-2-yl or morpholin-3-yl, or the nitrogen-centered radical, morpholin-4-yl, none of which are found to have low-energy pathways to ring-opening. Extensive exploration of multiple reaction pathways following molecular oxygen addition to these three radicals revealed two competitive low energy pathways to ring-opening. Addition of O(2) to either carbon-centered radical, followed by a 1,4-H shifting mechanism can yield a long-lived cyclic epoxy intermediate, susceptible to ring-opening, following further radical attack. In particular, the second pathway begins with O(2) attack on morpholin-2-yl, followed by a 1,5-H shift and a unimolecular ring-opening without having to overcome a high barrier, releasing a significant amount of heat in the overall ring-opening reaction. The calculations provide valuable context for the development of mechanisms for the low temperature combustion chemistry of nitrogen and oxygen-containing fuels.

Low-temperature combustion chemistry of biofuels: Pathways in the low-temperature (550–700 K) oxidation chemistry of isobutanol and tert-butanol

Butanol isomers are promising next-generation biofuels. Their use in internal combustion applications, especially those relying on low-temperature autoignition, requires an understanding of their low-temperature combustion chemistry. Whereas the high-temperature oxidation chemistry of all four butanol isomers has been the subject of substantial experimental and theoretical efforts, their low-temperature oxidation chemistry remains underexplored. In this work we report an experimental study on the fundamental low-temperature oxidation chemistry of two butanol isomers, tert-butanol and isobutanol, in low-pressure (4–5.1Torr) experiments at 550 and 700K. We use pulsed-photolytic chlorine atom initiation to generate hydroxyalkyl radicals derived from tert-butanol and isobutanol, and probe the chemistry of these radicals in the presence of an excess of O2 by multiplexed time-resolved tunable synchrotron photoionization mass spectrometry. Isomer-resolved yields of stable products are determined, providing insight into the chemistry of the different hydroxyalkyl radicals. In isobutanol oxidation, we find that the reaction of the α-hydroxyalkyl radical with O2 is predominantly linked to chain-terminating formation of HO2. The Waddington mechanism, associated with chain-propagating formation of OH, is the main product channel in the reactions of O2 with β-hydroxyalkyl radicals derived from both tert-butanol and isobutanol. In the tert-butanol case, direct HO2 elimination is not possible in the β-hydroxyalkyl+O2 reaction because of the absence of a beta C–H bond; this channel is available in the β-hydroxyalkyl+O2 reaction for isobutanol, but we find that it is strongly suppressed. Observed evolution of the main products from 550 to 700K can be qualitatively explained by an increasing role of hydroxyalkyl radical decomposition at 700K.

Low-temperature combustion chemistry of biofuels: pathways in the initial low-temperature (550 K–750 K) oxidation chemistry of isopentanol

The branched C(5) alcohol isopentanol (3-methylbutan-1-ol) has shown promise as a potential biofuel both because of new advanced biochemical routes for its production and because of its combustion characteristics, in particular as a fuel for homogeneous-charge compression ignition (HCCI) or related strategies. In the present work, the fundamental autoignition chemistry of isopentanol is investigated by using the technique of pulsed-photolytic Cl-initiated oxidation and by analyzing the reacting mixture by time-resolved tunable synchrotron photoionization mass spectrometry in low-pressure (8 Torr) experiments in the 550-750 K temperature range. The mass-spectrometric experiments reveal a rich chemistry for the initial steps of isopentanol oxidation and give new insight into the low-temperature oxidation mechanism of medium-chain alcohols. Formation of isopentanal (3-methylbutanal) and unsaturated alcohols (including enols) associated with HO(2) production was observed. Cyclic ether channels are not observed, although such channels dominate OH formation in alkane oxidation. Rather, products are observed that correspond to formation of OH viaβ-C-C bond fission pathways of QOOH species derived from β- and γ-hydroxyisopentylperoxy (RO(2)) radicals. In these pathways, internal hydrogen abstraction in the RO(2)⇄ QOOH isomerization reaction takes place from either the -OH group or the C-H bond in α-position to the -OH group. These pathways should be broadly characteristic for longer-chain alcohol oxidation. Isomer-resolved branching ratios are deduced, showing evolution of the main products from 550 to 750 K, which can be qualitatively explained by the dominance of RO(2) chemistry at lower temperature and hydroxyisopentyl decomposition at higher temperature.

Pressure-Dependent OH Yields in Alkene + HO2 Reactions: A Theoretical Study

The major bimolecular product of alkyl + O(2) reactions is alkene + hydroperoxyl radical (HO(2)), but in the reverse direction, the reactants are reformed to a very limited extent only. The most important products of the alkene + HO(2) reactions are alkylperoxy radical (ROO(•)), hydroxyl radical (OH) + cyclic ether, and the corresponding hydroperoxyalkyl ((•)QOOH) species. Moreover, abstraction of allylic hydrogens can compete with the addition, further complicating the possible outcome of this reaction type and its effect on low-temperature combustion chemistry. In this paper, six alkene + HO(2) reactions and the reaction between an unsaturated oxygenate and HO(2) are studied based on previously established potential energy surfaces. The studied unsaturated compounds are ethene, propene, 1-butene, trans-2-butene, isobutene, cyclohexene, and vinyl alcohol. Using multiwell master equations, temperature- (300-1200 K) and pressure-dependent rate coefficients and branching fractions are calculated for these reactions. The importance of this reaction type for the combustion of unsaturated compounds is also assessed, and we show that, to get reliable results, it is important to include the pressure-dependence of the rate coefficients in the calculations.