Elevated pressure low-temperature oxidation of linear five-heavy-atom fuels: diethyl ether, n-pentane, and their mixture

Abstract

Abstract Diethyl ether (DEE) has been proposed as a biofuel additive for compression-ignition engines, as an ignition improver for homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines, and as a suitable component for dual-fuel mixtures in reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) engines. The combustion in these engines is significantly controlled by low-temperature (LT) chemistry. Fundamental studies of DEE LT oxidation chemistry and of its influence in fuel-mixture oxidation are thus highly important, especially at elevated pressures. Elevated pressure speciation data were measured for the LT oxidation of DEE, of its similarly-structured linear five-heavy-atom hydrocarbon fuel (n-pentane), and of a mixture of the two fuels in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) in the temperature range of 400–1100 K and at various pressures up to 10 bar. The pressure influence on the LT oxidation chemistry of DEE was investigated by a comparison of the measured profiles of oxidation products. The results for DEE and n-pentane were then inspected with regard to fuel structure influences on the LT oxidation behavior. The new speciation data were used to test recent kinetic models for these fuels [Tran et al., Proc. Combust. Inst. 37 (2019) 511 and Bugler et al., Proc. Combust. Inst. 36 (2017) 441]. The models predict the major features of the LT chemistry of these fuels well and could thus subsequently assist in the data interpretation. Finally, the LT oxidation behavior of an equimolar mixture of the two fuels was explored. The interaction between the two fuels and the effects of the pressure on the fuel mixture oxidation were examined. In addition to reactions within the combined model for the two fuels, about 80 cross-reactions between primary reactive species generated from these two fuel molecules were added to explore their potential influences.