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To understand the effects of the chemical structure of two C5 alkene isomers on their combustion properties, and to highlight the major chemical reactions occurring during their high‐temperature oxidation, water time histories were measured behind reflected shock waves for the oxidation of 1‐pentene (C5H10‐1) and 3‐methyl‐1‐butene (3M1B) in 99.5% Ar. The experiments were carried out at three different equivalence ratios (φ = 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0) at pressures and temperatures ranging from 1.29 to 1.47 atm and 1 331 to 1 877 K, respectively. The H2O quantification extends the database for 1‐pentene and provides new insights for 3M1B. These unique results were used to validate and to develop a new detailed kinetics model. Numerical predictions are presented, and the new model was able to capture the results with suitable accuracy, with 3M1B being notably more reactive than C5H10‐1. Sensitivity and rate‐of‐production analyses were performed to help explain the results. Under the present conditions, the reactivity is rapidly initiated by molecular dissociation of a fraction of the pentene isomers. The initiation phase then induces H‐atom abstraction by active radicals (H, OH, O, HO2, and CH3) to first produce alkenyl C5H9 radicals (or an alkyl radical and an alkenyl radical by breaking a C─C bond) and subsequent, smaller fragments. The difference in terms of reactivity between the isomers is essentially due to the fact that 3M1B has one particularly weak tertiary allylic C─H bond, which allows for fast H‐atom abstraction compared with 1‐pentene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed chemical structures of stoichiometric and rich premixed laminar flames of methyl pentanoate and methyl hexanoate were investigated over a flat burner at 20 Torr and for methyl pentanoate at 1 atm. Molecular beam mass spectrometry was used with tunable synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photoionization for low pressure flames of both methyl pentanoate and methyl hexanoate, and soft electron-impact ionization was used for atmospheric pressure flames of methyl pentanoate. Mole fraction profiles of stable and intermediate species, as well as temperature profiles, were measured in the flames. A detailed chemical kinetic high temperature reaction mechanism for small alkyl ester oxidation was extended to include combustion of methyl pentanoate and methyl hexanoate, and the resulting model was used to compare computed values with experimentally measured values. Reaction pathways for both fuels were identified, with good agreement between measured and computed species profiles. Implications of these results for future studies of larger alkyl ester fuels are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review describes major features of current research in renewable fuels derived from plants and from fatty acids. Recent and ongoing fundamen-tal studies of biofuel molecular structure, oxidation reactions, and biofuel chemical properties are reviewed, in addition to combustion applications of biofuels in the major types of engines in which biofuels are used. Biofuels and their combustion are compared with combustion features of conven-tional petroleum-based fuels. Two main classes of biofuels are described, those consisting of small, primarily alcohol, fuels (particularly ethanol, n-butanol, and iso-pentanol) that are used primarily to replace or supplement gasoline and those derived from fatty acids and used primarily to replace or supplement conventional diesel fuels. Research efforts on so-called second-and third-generation biofuels are discussed briefly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The relative importance of formation pathways for benzene, an important precursor to soot formation, was determined from the simulation of 22 premixed flames for a wide range of equivalence ratios (1.0–3.06), fuels (C1–C12), and pressures (20–760torr). The maximum benzene concentrations in 15 out of these flames were well reproduced within 30% of the experimental data. Fuel structural properties were found to be critical for benzene production. Cyclohexanes and C3 and C4 fuels were found to be among the most productive in benzene formation; and long-chain normal paraffins produce the least amount of benzene. Other properties, such as equivalence ratio and combustion temperatures, were also found to be important in determining the amount of benzene produced in flames. Reaction pathways for benzene formation were examined critically in four premixed flames of structurally different fuels of acetylene, n-decane, butadiene, and cyclohexane. Reactions involving precursors, such as C3 and C4 species, were examined. Combination reactions of C3 species were identified to be the major benzene formation routes with the exception of the cyclohexane flame, in which benzene is formed exclusively from cascading fuel dehydrogenation via cyclohexene and cyclohexadiene intermediates. Acetylene addition makes a minor contribution to benzene formation, except in the butadiene flame where C4H5 radicals are produced directly from the fuel, and in the n-decane flame where C4H5 radicals are produced from large alkyl radical decomposition and H atom abstraction from the resulting large olefins. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A detailed chemical kinetic mechanism has been developed and used to study the oxidation of methyl decanoate, a surrogate for biodiesel fuels. This model has been built by following the rules established by Curran and co-workers for the oxidation of n-heptane and it includes all the reactions known to be pertinent to both low and high temperatures. Computed results have been compared with methyl decanoate experiments in an engine and oxidation of rapeseed oil methyl esters in a jet-stirred reactor. An important feature of this mechanism is its ability to reproduce the early formation of carbon dioxide that is unique to biofuels and due to the presence of the ester group in the reactant. The model also predicts ignition delay times and OH profiles very close to observed values in shock tube experiments fueled by n-decane. These model capabilities indicate that large n-alkanes can be good surrogates for large methyl esters and biodiesel fuels to predict overall reactivity, but some kinetic details, including early CO2 production from biodiesel fuels, can be predicted only by a detailed kinetic mechanism for a true methyl ester fuel. The present methyl decanoate mechanism provides a realistic kinetic tool for simulation of biodiesel fuels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Methyl butanoate pyrolysis and decomposition pathways were studied in detail by measuring concentration time-histories of CO, CO2, CH3, and C2H4 using shock tube/laser absorption methods. Experiments were conducted behind reflected shock waves at temperatures of 1200–1800K and pressures near 1.5atm using mixtures of 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% methyl butanoate in Argon. A novel laser diagnostic was developed to measure CO in the ν 1 fundamental vibrational band near 4.56μm using a new generation of quantum-cascade lasers. Wavelength modulation spectroscopy with second-harmonic detection (WMS-2f) was used to measure CO2 near 2752nm. Methyl radical was measured using UV laser absorption near 216nm, and ethylene was monitored using IR gas laser absorption near 10.53μm. An accurate methyl butanoate model is critical in the development of mechanisms for larger methyl esters, and the measured time-histories provide kinetic targets and strong constraints for the refinement of the methyl butanoate reaction mechanism. Measured CO mole fractions reach plateau values that are the same as the initial fuel mole fraction at temperatures higher than 1500K over the maximum measurement time of 2ms or less. Two recent kinetic mechanisms are compared with the measured data and the possible reasons for this 1:1 ratio between MB and CO are discussed. Based on these discussions, it is expected that similar CO/fuel and CO2/fuel ratios for biodiesel molecules, particularly saturated components of biodiesel, should occur. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]