Fethi Khaled

Modeling Ignition of a Heptane Isomer: Improved Thermodynamics, Reaction Pathways, Kinetics, and Rate Rule Optimizations for 2-Methylhexane

Accurate chemical kinetic combustion models of lightly branched alkanes (e.g., 2-methylalkanes) are important to investigate the combustion behavior of real fuels. Improving the fidelity of existing kinetic models is a necessity, as new experiments and advanced theories show inaccuracies in certain portions of the models. This study focuses on updating thermodynamic data and the kinetic reaction mechanism for a gasoline surrogate component, 2-methylhexane, based on recently published thermodynamic group values and rate rules derived from quantum calculations and experiments. Alternative pathways for the isomerization of peroxy-alkylhydroperoxide (OOQOOH) radicals are also investigated. The effects of these updates are compared against new high-pressure shock tube and rapid compression machine ignition delay measurements. It is shown that rate constant modifications are required to improve agreement between kinetic modeling simulations and experimental data. We further demonstrate the ability to optimize the kinetic model using both manual and automated techniques for rate parameter tunings to improve agreement with the measured ignition delay time data. Finally, additional low temperature chain branching reaction pathways are shown to improve the models performance. The present approach to model development provides better performance across extended operating conditions while also strengthening the fundamental basis of the model.

Theoretical and Shock Tube Study of the Rate Constants for Hydrogen Abstraction Reactions of Ethyl Formate

We report a systematic chemical kinetics study of the H atom abstractions from ethyl formate (EF) by H, O(3P), CH3, OH, and HO2 radicals. The geometry optimization and frequency calculation of all the species were conducted using the M06 method and the cc-pVTZ basis set. The one-dimensional hindered rotor treatment of the reactants and transition states and the intrinsic reaction coordinate analysis were also performed at the M06/cc-pVTZ level of theory. The relative electronic energies were calculated at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVXZ (where X = D, T) level of theory and further extrapolated to the complete basis set limit. Rate constants for the tittle reactions were calculated over the temperature range 500-2500 K by the transition state theory (TST) in conjunction with the asymmetric Eckart tunneling effect. In addition, the rate constants of H-abstraction by hydroxyl radical were measured in shock tube experiments at 900-1321 K and 1.4-2.0 atm. Our theoretical rate constants of OH + EF → products agree well with the experimental results within 15% over the experimental temperature range of 900-1321 K. Branching ratios for the five types of H-abstraction reactions were also determined from their individual site-specific rate constants.

H-Abstraction by OH from Large Branched Alkanes: Overall Rate Measurements and Site-Specific Tertiary Rate Calculations

Reaction rate coefficients for the reaction of hydroxyl (OH) radicals with nine large branched alkanes (i.e., 2-methyl-3-ethyl-pentane, 2,3-dimethyl-pentane, 2,2,3-trimethylbutane, 2,2,3-trimethyl-pentane, 2,3,4-trimethyl-pentane, 3-ethyl-pentane, 2,2,3,4-tetramethyl-pentane, 2,2-dimethyl-3-ethyl-pentane, and 2,4-dimethyl-3-ethyl-pentane) are measured at high temperatures (900-1300 K) using a shock tube and narrow-line-width OH absorption diagnostic in the UV region. In addition, room-temperature measurements of six out of these nine rate coefficients are performed in a photolysis cell using high repetition laser-induced fluorescence of OH radicals. Our experimental results are combined with previous literature measurements to obtain three-parameter Arrhenius expressions valid over a wide temperature range (300-1300 K). The rate coefficients are analyzed using the next-nearest-neighbor (N-N-N) methodology to derive nine tertiary (T003, T012, T013, T022, T023, T111, T112, T113, and T122) site-specific rate coefficients for the abstraction of H atoms by OH radicals from branched alkanes. Derived Arrhenius expressions, valid over 950-1300 K, are given as (the subscripts denote the number of carbon atoms connected to the next-nearest-neighbor carbon): T003 = 1.80 × 10-10 exp(-2971 K/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1; T012 = 9.36 × 10-11 exp(-3024 K/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1; T013 = 4.40 × 10-10 exp(-4162 K/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1; T022 = 1.47 × 10-10 exp(-3587 K/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1; T023 = 6.06 × 10-11 exp(-3010 K/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1; T111 = 3.98 × 10-11 exp(-1617 K/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1; T112 = 9.08 × 10-12 exp(-3661 K/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1; T113 = 6.74 × 10-9 exp(-7547 K/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1; T122 = 3.47 × 10-11 exp(-1802 K/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1.

Rate Coefficients of the Reaction of OH with Allene and Propyne at High Temperatures.

Allene (H2C═C═CH2; a-C3H4) and propyne (CH3C≡CH; p-C3H4) are important species in various chemical environments. In combustion processes, the reactions of hydroxyl radicals with a-C3H4 and p-C3H4 are critical in the overall fuel oxidation system. In this work, rate coefficients of OH radicals with allene (OH + H2C═C═CH2 → products) and propyne (OH + CH3C≡CH → products) were measured behind reflected shock waves over the temperature range of 843-1352 K and pressures near 1.5 atm. Hydroxyl radicals were generated by rapid thermal decomposition of tert-butyl hydroperoxide ((CH3)3-CO-OH), and monitored by narrow line width laser absorption of the well-characterized R1(5) electronic transition of the OH A-X (0,0) electronic system near 306.7 nm. Results show that allene reacts faster with OH radicals than propyne over the temperature range of this study. Measured rate coefficients can be expressed in Arrhenius form as follows: kallene+OH(T) = 8.51(±0.03) × 10-22T3.05 exp(2215(±3)/T), T = 843-1352 K; kpropyne+OH(T) = 1.30(±0.07) × 10-21T3.01 exp(1140(±6)/T), T = 846-1335 K.