Showing papers on "Autoignition temperature published in 2007"

Experimental and kinetic modeling study of combustion of JP-8, its surrogates and reference components in laminar nonpremixed flows

Abstract: Experimental and numerical studies are carried out to construct reliable surrogates that can reproduce aspects of combustion of JP-8 and Jet-A. Surrogate fuels are defined as mixtures of few hydrocarbon compounds with combustion characteristics similar to those of commercial fuels. The combustion characteristics considered here are extinction and autoignition in laminar non premixed flows. The “reference” fuels used as components for the surrogates of jet fuels are n-decane, n-dodecane, methylcyclohexane, toluene, and o-xylene. Three surrogates are constructed by mixing these components in proportions to their chemical types found in jet fuels. Experiments are conducted in the counterflow system. The fuels tested are the components of the surrogates, the surrogates, and the jet fuels. A fuel stream made up of a mixture of fuel vapors and nitrogen is injected into a mixing layer from one duct of a counterflow burner. Air is injected from the other duct into the same mixing layer. The strain rate at extinction is measured as a function of the mass fraction of fuel in the fuel stream. The temperature of the air at autoignition is measured as a function of the strain rate at a fixed value of the mass fraction of fuel in the fuel stream. The measured values of the critical conditions of extinction and autoignition for the surrogates show that they are slightly more reactive than the jet fuels. Numerical calculations are carried out using a semi-detailed chemical-kinetic mechanism. The calculated values of the critical conditions of extinction and autoignition for the reference fuels and for the surrogates are found to agree well with experimental data. Sensitivity analysis is used to highlight key elementary reactions that influence the critical conditions of autoignition of an alkane fuel and an aromatic fuel.

Comparing late-cycle autoignition stability for single- and two-stage ignition fuels in HCCI engines

Abstract: The characteristics of autoignition after top-dead-center (TDC) for both single- and two-stage ignition fuels have been investigated in a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine. The single-stage ignition fuel was iso-octane and the two-stage ignition fuel was PRF80 (80% iso-octane and 20% n-heptane). The results show that the heat-release rate and pressure-rise rate both decrease as the combustion is retarded later into the early expansion stroke. This is an advantage for high-load HCCI operation. However, for both fuel-types, cycle-to-cycle variations of the ignition and combustion phasing increase with combustion-phasing retard. Also, the cycle-to-cycle variations are higher for iso-octane compared to PRF80. These observations can be explained by considering the magnitude of random temperature fluctuation and the temperature-rise rate just prior to thermal run-away. Furthermore, too much combustion-phasing retard leads to the appearance of partial-burn or misfire cycles, but the responses of the two fuels are quite different. The different behaviors can be explained by considering the thermal and chemical state of the residual exhaust gases that are recycled from one cycle to the next. The data indicate that a partial-burn cycle with iso-octane produces residuals that increase the reactivity of the following cycle. However, for the already more reactive PRF80 fuel, the partial-burn products present in the residuals do not increase the reactivity enough to overcome the retarding effect of cool residual gases.

Autoignition of surrogate fuels at elevated temperatures and pressures

Abstract: Autoignition of Jet-A and mixtures of benzene, hexane, and decane in air has been studied using a heated shock tube at mean post-shock pressures of 8.5 ± 1 atm within the temperature range of 1000–1700 K with the objective of identifying surrogate fuels for aviation kerosene. The influence of each component on ignition delay time and on critical conditions required for strong ignition of the mixture has been deduced from experimental observations. Correlation equation for Jet-A ignition times has been derived from the measurements. It is found that within the scatter of experimental data dilution of n -decane with benzene and n -hexane leads to slight increase in ignition times at low temperatures and does not change critical temperatures required for direct initiation of detonations in comparison with pure n -decane/air mixtures. Ignition times in 20% hexane/80% decane (HD), 20% benzene/80% decane (BD) and 18.2% benzene/9.1% hexane/72.7% decane (BHD) mixtures at temperature range of T ≅ 1450–1750 K correlate well with induction time of Jet-A fuel suggesting that these mixtures could serve as surrogates for aviation kerosene. At the same time, HD, BD and BHD surrogate fuels demonstrate a stronger autoignition and peak velocities of reflected shock front in comparison with Jet-A and n -decane/air mixtures.

The autoignition of cyclopentane and cyclohexane in a shock tube

Abstract: Ignition delay times of cyclohexane–oxygen–argon and cyclopentane–oxygen–argon mixtures have been measured in a shock tube, the onset of ignition being detected by OH radical emission. Mixtures contained 0.5 or 1% of hydrocarbon for values of the equivalence ratio ranging from 0.5 to 2. Reflected shock waves allowed temperatures from 1230 to 1840 K and pressures from 7.3 to 9.5 atm to be obtained. These measurements have shown that cyclopentane is much less reactive than cyclohexane, as for a given temperature the observed autoignition delay times were about 10 times higher for the C 5 compound than for the C 6 . Detailed mechanisms for the combustion of cyclohexane and cyclopentane have been proposed to reproduce these results. The elementary steps included in the kinetic models of the oxidation of cyclanes are close to those proposed to describe the oxidation of non cyclic alkanes and alkenes. Consequently, it has been possible to obtain these models by using an improved version of the EXGAS software, a computer package for the automatic generation of detailed kinetic models for the gas-phase combustion of alkanes and alkenes. Nevertheless, the modeling of the oxidation of cyclanes requires new types of generic reactions to be considered, and especially to define new correlations for the estimation of the rate constants. Quantum chemical calculations have been used to improve the estimation of some sensitive rate constants in the case of cyclopentane. The main reaction pathways have been derived from flow rate and sensitivity analysis.

Autoignition of methane-based fuel blends under gas turbine conditions

Abstract: To determine gross autoignition behavior for power generation gas turbine engines over a wide range of possible blends, undiluted natural-gas-based mixtures combining CH 4 with C 2 H 6 , C 3 H 8 , C 4 H 10 , C 5 H 12 , and H 2 were tested at engine-relevant conditions. The experiments were performed behind reflected shock waves at an average pressure of 20 atm, target temperatures near 800 K, and an equivalence ratio of ϕ = 0.5. A statistical matrix approach developed in previous papers was employed to cover as wide a range of multiple-fuel blends as possible, resulting in 21 binary and ternary mixtures with methane content in the blends as low as 50% by volume in some mixtures. Both pressure and CH ∗ -emission histories were obtained from the endwall to determine the ignition delay time and the relative strength of the ignition process. Previous work has shown reduced ignition activation energies and similar behavior in the low-temperature, high-pressure regime for higher-order hydrocarbons such as heptane and iso -octane. Similar trends have been obtained in this study for methane-based fuel blends containing higher-order hydrocarbons up to n -pentane, implying a strong reduction in activation energy at lower temperatures and higher pressures. The mean ignition time for all mixtures around 800 K was found to be 7.9 ms with a standard deviation of 1.9 ms, or less than 25%, which is small compared to the relatively high reduction effect at higher temperatures. While most of the fuel blends exhibited strong ignition behavior, the pure methane tests exhibited weak ignition at the lower temperature. Assuming either type of ignition to be worthy of concern for autoignition in gas turbines, it was found that pure methane at low temperatures (800 K) and gas turbine pressures (20 atm) has about the same ignition delay time as other mixtures. The results from this study can be directly used for industrial purposes, as validation of potential chemical kinetics mechanisms in this regime, and as a starting point to conduct further studies into the behaviors observed.

Stability Analysis in Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) Engines With High Dilution

Abstract: This paper analyzes the stability of the autoignition process of homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines with exhaust dilution. We find conditions under which steady-state multiplicity exists with stable and unstable equilibria. This analysis is conducted taking into account the internal feedback structure of the thermal dynamics. Specifically, HCCI combustion timing determines the combustion heat produced and is determined by the heat provided through high internal exhaust gas recirculation from the previous combustion cycle. It is shown that the thermal equilibria are characterized by a simple returning map consisting of two curves, namely the breathing temperature curve and the combustion temperature curve. The influence of heat transfer and the cooling system in the system stability is also analyzed. The returning map and the stability of the multiple steady-state equilibria are confirmed with a high-order dynamic nonlinear model. The high-order dynamic model includes manifold filling and composition dynamics and has been validated both at steady state and during transient. It is shown that a static feedforward controller can cause instability during switching from a high to a low load. A dynamic feedforward controller, on the other hand, is able to stabilize the transition by reducing temperature excursions and, hence, keeping the temperature trajectories within stable regions

In-cylinder gas temperature and water concentration measurements in HCCI engines using a multiplexed-wavelength diode-laser system: Sensor development and initial demonstration

Abstract: A wavelength-multiplexed, fiber-optic-based, line-of-sight, diode-laser absorption sensor is developed for crank-angle-resolved measurements of temperature and water concentration in a homogeneous-charge-compression-ignition (HCCI) engine. An initial demonstration of its use on two optical HCCI engines at Sandia National Laboratories is reported. The measurements encompassed both motored- and fired-engine operation for temperatures between 300 and 1700 K and pressures between 1 and 55 bar. A spectroscopic line selection process identifies the most appropriate water absorption linepair for thermometry under these conditions. Key solutions to suppress crank-angle-dependent noise in the transmitted laser signals are reported, including careful spectroscopic design and optical engineering to accommodate beam-steering, engine vibration and polarization-related interference. Data obtained through this sensor can provide critical engine characteristics such as combustion efficiency, peak combustion temperature, and autoignition temperature. The flexibility of the wavelength-multiplexed architecture allows the straightforward addition of other wavelengths to potentially enable the simultaneous measurement of other important engine parameters such as temperature non-uniformity, and fuel, CO, and CO2 concentrations.

The effect of swirl on spark assisted compression ignition (SACI)

Abstract: Autoignition with SI compression ratio can be achieved by retaining hot residuals, replacing some of the fresh charge. In this experimental work it is achieved by running with a negative valve overlap (NVO) trapping hot residuals. The experimental engine is equipped with a pneumatic valve train making it possible to change valve lift, phasing and duration, as well as running with valve deactivation. This makes it possible to start in SI mode, and then by increasing the NVO, thus raising the initial charge temperature it is possible to investigate the intermediate domain between SI and HCCI. The engine is then running in spark-assisted HCCI mode, or spark-assisted compression ignition (SACI) mode that is an acronym that describes the combustion on the borderline between SI and HCCI. In this study the effect of changing the in-cylinder flow pattern by increased swirl is studied. This is achieved by deactivating one of the two intake valves. The effect of the increased turbulence is studied both on the initial slow heat release originating from the spark plug and on the following HCCI combustion. The early SI flame development is highly dependent on the flow field so by increasing the turbulence the flame expansion speed is affected, also at high residual rates. Also, HCCI combustion rate has been shown to slow down as turbulence is increased. As high reaction rate is an issue for HCCI combustion this means that it could be possible to reduce the reaction rate and simultaneously increase the possible usage of SACI combustion by increasing the turbulence. Synchronized simultaneous pressure and high-speed chemiluminescence measurements are conducted making it possible to reproduce fully resolved cycles from the onset of the spark throughout the entire combustion event. From the chemiluminescence images it is possible to calculate a flame expansion speed. The effect on combustion in terms of autoignition timing, combustion duration and the amount of heat released in the different combustion modes is investigated using heat release analysis. LDV measurements are conducted to support the turbulence effects on SACI combustion.

Experimental and Kinetic Modeling of Kerosene-Type Fuels at Gas Turbine Operating Conditions

Abstract: Experimental and kinetic modeling of kerosene-type fuels is reported in the present work with special emphasis on the low-temperature oxidation phenomenon relevant to gas turbine premixing conditions. Experiments were performed in an atmospheric pressure, tubular flow reactor to measure ignition delay time of kerosene (fuel-oil No. 1) in order to study the premature autoignition of liquid fuels at gas turbine premixing conditions. The experimental results indicate that the ignition delay time decreases exponentially with the equivalence ratio at fuel-lean conditions. However, for very high equivalence ratios (>2), the ignition delay time approaches an asymptotic value. Equivalence ratio fluctuations in the premixer can create conditions conducive for autoignition of fuel in the premixer, as the gas turbines generally operate under lean conditions during premixed prevaporized combustion. Ignition delay time measurements of stoichiometric fuel-oil No. 1/air mixture at 1 atm were comparable with that of kerosene type Jet-A fuel available in the literature. A detailed kerosene mechanism with approximately 1400 reactions of 550 species is developed using a surrogate mixture of n-decane, n-propylcyclohexane, n-propylbenzene, and decene to represent the major chemical constituents of kerosene, namely n-alkanes, cyclo-alkanes, aromatics, and olefins, respectively. As the major portion of kerosene-type fuels consists of alkanes, which are relatively more reactive at low temperatures, a detailed kinetic mechanism is developed for n-decane oxidation including low temperature reaction kinetics. With the objective of achieving a more comprehensive kinetic model for n-decane, the mechanism is validated against target data for a wide range of experimental conditions available in the literature. The data include shock tube ignition delay time measurements, jet-stirred reactor reactivity profiles, and plug-flow reactor species time-history profiles. The kerosene model predictions agree fairly well with the ignition delay time measurements obtained in the present work as well as the data available in the literature for Jet A. The kerosene model was able to reproduce the low-temperature preignition reactivity profile of JP-8 obtained in a flow reactor at 12 atm. Also, the kerosene mechanism predicts the species reactivity profiles of Jet A-1 obtained in a jet-stirred reactor fairly well.

Experimental study of pyrolysis and combustion of scrap tire

Abstract: Pyrolysis and combustion behaviors of a single rubber particle in a derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) apparatus were investigated. The influence of temperature (400–850°C) and oxygen content in gas (5–21%) on combustion behavior of rubber samples and solid products of the pyrolysis process (chars) was studied. Development of the porosity and specific surface area of the rubber particle during pyrolysis was investigated. Pyrolysis of scrap rubber samples was carried out under nitrogen atmosphere over a temperature range 20–850°C using a heating rate of 5°C/min. The measured DTG curves show two different weight loss regions during the pyrolysis over a temperature range 250–550°C. In all, 52–55% of the samples weight was lost during the pyrolysis process and another 30% during the combustion of char. Ashes create approximately 17% of the samples weight. The ignition temperature of scrap rubber samples in air was around 512°C and increased with decreasing oxygen content. The reaction time of the combustion process decreased about 1.4 times with increasing temperature from 500 to 750°C and 5.5 times with decreasing oxygen content in the inlet gas from 21 to 5 mol%. The total specific surface area of the rubber sample with the degree of pyrolysis increased rapidly to 83 m2/g. The values of total porosity increased significantly from 0.3 to 32% at the end of pyrolysis. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Simulation of transient turbulent methane jet ignition and combustion under engine-relevant conditions using conditional source-term estimation with detailed chemistry

Abstract: The ignition and combustion processes of transient turbulent methane jets under high-pressure and moderate temperature conditions were simulated using a computationally efficient combustion model. Closure for the mean chemical source-terms was obtained with Conditional Source-term Estimation (CSE) using first conditional moment closure in conjunction with a detailed chemical kinetic mechanism, which was reduced to a Trajectory-Generated Low-Dimensional Manifold (TGLDM). The accuracy of the manifold was first validated against the direct integral method by comparing the predicted reactive scalar profiles in three methane–air reaction systems: a laminar premixed flame, a laminar flamelet and a perfectly stirred reactor. Detailed CFD simulations incorporating the CSE-TGLDM model were able to provide reasonably good predictions of the experimental ignition delay and initial ignition kernel locations of the methane jets reported in the literature with relatively low computational cost. Nitrogen oxides formed i...

On the autoignition and combustion characteristics of kerosene droplets at elevated pressure and temperature

Abstract: The effects of high ambient pressure and temperature were experimentally investigated on the autoignition delay times of isolated kerosene fuel droplets. The droplet was hanged at the tip of a quartz fiber and suddenly exposed to high ambient temperature by the help of falling electric furnace at desired ambient pressures under normal gravity. The ignition was detected visually by the use of high-speed photography. Results have shown that the autoignition delay time decreases with an increase in both temperature and pressure. Also an increase in ambient pressure reduces the ignition location distance from the droplet. The experimental results of autoignition delay times were correlated with the equation τ = APBexp(D/T). The combustion of the kerosene droplet was also investigated at various ambient temperatures and at atmospheric pressure. The droplet burning rate was calculated using temporal histories of droplet diameter. The droplet combustion followed d 2-law. And a comparison between evapora...

Predicting the ignition delay of turbulent methane jets using Conditional Source-term Estimation

Abstract: A predictive simulation of the autoignition process of non-premixed methane in a turbulent jet configuration was performed. Closure for the chemical source-term was obtained using Conditional Source-term Estimation with Laminar Flamelet Decomposition (CSE-LFD). The ambient oxidizer conditions – the high pressure and moderate temperatures characteristic of compression ignition engines – were chosen with the intent to validate the combustion model used under engine-relevant conditions. Validation was obtained by comparison of the predicted ignition delay to experimental results obtained from a shock-tube facility at several initial temperatures. Overall, the combination of full chemistry that has been carefully tuned to predict autoignition of premixed methane–air mixtures under similar temperature/pressure conditions with the CSE-LFD model is able to successfully predict the autoignition delay time of methane–air jets well within the scatter in the experimental data.

Experimental investigation of methanol and ethanol flames in nonuniform flows

Abstract: Experimental studies are conducted on extinction and autoignition of methanol and ethanol flames in laminar, nonuniform flows. Two flame types are considered: nonpremixed and premixed. The studies are performed in the counterflow configuration. The burner used in the experiments is made up of two ducts. Studies in the nonpremixed configuration are carried out by injecting a stream comprised of fuel vapors and nitrogen from one duct, and a stream of air from the other duct. In the premixed configuration a premixed-reactant stream made up of fuel vapors, air, and nitrogen, is injected from one duct, and a nitrogen stream from the other duct. Numerical calculations are performed using detailed chemistry at conditions corresponding to those used in the experiments. For the nonpremixed systems considered here, the calculated values of the critical conditions of extinction agree well with experimental data. At given values of the strain rate and temperature of the fuel stream, the calculated temperature of the oxidizer stream at autoignition is found to be higher than the measured values. In the premixed configuration the strain rate at extinction is measured for various values of the equivalence ratio of the mixture in the premixed-reactant stream, ϕ1. The value of ϕ1, at which the calculated extinction strain rate is the highest, is found to be larger than the value of ϕ1 at which the measured extinction strain rate is the highest. Sensitivity analysis is carried out to test the influence of various elementary reactions on critical conditions of extinction. The structure of a nonpremixed methanol flame is investigated. Concentration profiles of stable species and temperature profiles are measured. The flame structure is calculated using detailed chemistry. The results of numerical calculations agree well with experimental data.

Experimental study on the cycle-by-cycle variations of homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion using primary reference fuels and their mixtures

Abstract: In this paper, the combustion stabilities and cycle-by-cycle variations of homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion using neat n-heptane, PRF20, PRF40, PRF50, and PRF60 were investigated. In-cylinder pressures of 100 combustion cycles for each test fuel on a single-cylinder engine were recorded. Consequently, cycle-to-cycle variations of the main combustion parameters and performance parameters were analysed, and the interdependency between the combustion parameter and performance parameters were also evaluated. The results reveal that the cycle-by-cycle variations deteriorate with the increase of the research octane number (RON). Especially, the coefficient of variations (COVs) of all parameters increase substantially when the RON of test fuels exceeds 40. For a certain test fuel, the COVs of combustion parameters that were used to depict the combustion characteristics during the early stage of combustion are very small, the COVs of combustion parameters that were used to describ...

Effect of Turbulence on HCCI Combustion

Abstract: This paper presents large eddy simulation (LES) and experimental studies of the combustion process of ethanol/air mixture in an experimental optical HCCI engine. The fuel is injected to the intake port manifolds to generate uniform fuel/air mixture in the cylinder. Two different piston shapes, one with a flat disc and one with a square bowl, were employed to generate different in-cylinder turbulence and temperature field prior to autoignition. The aim of this study was to scrutinize the effect of in-cylinder turbulence on the temperature field and on the combustion process. The fuel tracer, acetone, is measured using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) to characterize the reaction fronts, and chemiluminescence images were recorded using a high-speed camera, with a 0.25 crank angle degree resolution, to further illustrate the combustion process. Pressure in the cylinder is recorded in the experiments. Spatial and temporal resolved LES was used to gain information on the turbulence mixing, heat transfer and combustion process. It was shown that gas temperature in the piston bowl is generally higher than that in the squish, leading to an earlier ignition in the bowl. Compared to the disc engine, the square bowl engine has a higher temperature inhomogeneity owing to the turbulence wall heat transfer. The experimentally observed higher combustion duration and slower pressure rise rate in the square bowl engine as compared to the disc engine can be explained by the higher temperature inhomogeneity in the square bowl engine.

Modeling of Chemical Processes in a Diesel Engine With Alcohol Fuels

Abstract: Methanol utilization in a compression ignition engine has held tentative promise for a number of years, and, in fact, the concept has seen large scale field trials intended to demonstrate this option as a precursor to commercial implementation. However, results from those tests have identified some of the practical problems encountered with this fuel, namely, (1) its difficulty of vaporization and (2) its high autoignition temperature. Luminosity promoting additives, which facilitate radiative transport as a component of flame spread (because pure alcohol burns with little luminosity, continuum radiation as a reaction transport mechanism is essentially absent), intake air heating, active and passive heat sources, etc., represent some of the attempts to overcome limitations of these two factors. Except for intake air preheat, these augmentation methods have been noted to result in poor off-load thermal cycle efficiency. Focusing on the case of intake air preheat (which can be achieved by elevated compression ratio), and to model the chemical reaction kinetics, the partially stirred reactor model in CHEMKIN was used. This approach provided examination of the chemistry and reaction rates associated with an actual trial in which methanol was the fuel under study. To initiate this simulation, literature available reaction mechanisms were obtained, and then the experimental cylinder pressure history was matched by control of heat release rate via the partially stirred reactor model. This is represented within the reactor model by changing the turbulent mixing intensity factor. The overall reaction sequence, which models cylinder pressure, and attendant extent of reaction were the major focus. The minor focus included production of emission gases, e.g., the aldehydes and unburned fuel. Not only are the model results consistent with actual findings, they also support a method for addressing causes of off-load inefficiency and engine failures due to engine oil dilution with fuel.