Soot emissions in combustion are consequences of burning hydrocarbon fuels. Soot is an indication of incomplete combustion and contributes heavily towards climate change. Efforts have been made to reduce soot production in engines by utilizing oxygenated biofuels. In this study, a shock tube was used to evaluate the performance of soot reduction of five biofuels. Experiments were performed from 1700-2100K and 4-4.7 atm. Initially, we devised a procedure and compared our results with literature. Then, we compared the five biofuels to the baseline measurements. Experimental data was compared with the Co-Optima mechanism and the KM2 soot surface mechanism. Soot reduction was found in ethanol, cyclopentanone, and methyl acetate. Methyl furan and diisobutylene produced more soot compared to the baseline over longer test times. The mechanisms generally overpredicted the soot yield and were of an exponential growth of soot throughout the temperature range, while experiments showed a linear increase in soot in the hotter range. Additionally, the mechanisms typically overpredicted the soot induction time. Adjustments were made to the mechanism, the pyrene-pyrene collision factor, for better agreement with the data. For each biofuel, several reaction pathways that lead towards soot production were identified. The data collected in these experiments are valuable knowledge for the future of biofuel development and chemical kinetic model improvements.

Comparative shock tube and time-resolved investigation of the effectiveness of co-optima biofuels on suppressing soot formation

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.