The need for lowering the environmental impacts has incentivized investigation of biomass and biofuels as possible alternative sources energy supply. Among others, oxygenated bio-derived molecules such alcohols, esters, acids, aldehydes, furans are attractive substances chemical feedstock sustainable production. Indeed, presence oxygen atoms limits production aromatic compounds, improves combus...

In recent years, the industry has shifted toward down-sizing and turbo-charging spark ignition (SI) engines in an effort to increase fuel conversion efficiency. However, this has given rise to a destructive phenomenon known as sporadic pre-ignition (SPI). At low cranking speeds and high loads, engines have been observed to knock violently for brief and infrequent intervals. If allowed to contin...

Experimental and numerical studies are conducted on the thermal, chemical and dilution effects of buffer gas composition on autoignition of dimethyl ether (DME). The buffer gases considered are nitrogen (N2), a mixture of N2 and argon (Ar) at a mole ratio of 50%/50% and a mixture of Ar and carbon dioxide (CO2) at a mole ratio of 61.2%/38.8%. Experiments are performed using a rapid compression m...

The ignition of a laminar non-premixed H2/air mixing layer with an embedded vortex was computationally studied with detailed chemistry and transport. The initial vortex velocity and pressure fields were specified based on the stream function of an incompressible nonviscous vortex. The fuel side is pure hydrogen at 300 K, and the oxidizer side is air at 2000 K. The vortex evolution process was f...

Non-equilibrium plasmas may be used to dissociate reactants into radicals. In turn, these radicals react releasing energy and broadening the radical pool and thereby ignite or aid the ignition of a fuel=air mixture. Using methane as an archetypical fuel, this work studies the kinetic pathways that control homogeneous ignition in the presence of radicals, which were previously formed by external...

Abstract Dibutyl ether (DBE) is a promising biofuel due to its high cetane number (~ 100) and volumetric energy density (31.6 MJ/L). It could either be used directly in compression ignition engines or blended with other conventional renewable fuels. Oxidation pyrolysis kinetics of DBE are not well known, particularly at pressures. In this work, we have experimentally investigated the chemical t...

Rise and delay times of mixtures of methane, propane, n-butane, iso-butane and isooctane mixed with air ignited by transient plasma discharge were investigated and compared with spark discharge ignition. Multi-ignition site effect and high electron energy are suggested to contribute to shortening of rise and delay times.

This paper describes our developing understanding of low-temperature oxidation kinetics. We have investigated the ignition of the three pentane isomers in a rapid compression machine over a wide range of temperatures and pressures, including conditions of negative temperature coefficient behavior. The pentane isomers are small alkanes, yet have structures that are complex enough to allow for th...