A better understanding and control of internal combustion engine pollutants require more insightful investigation of gasoline oxidation chemistry. An oxidation study has been done on n-heptane, iso-octane, their binary mixtures (Primary Reference Fuel, (PRF)), and nine hydrocarbon mixtures which represent the second generation of gasoline surrogates (multi-component surrogates). This study aims to develop a better understanding of the combustion reaction by studying the oxidation reaction of different fuels inside a jet-stirred reactor and numerically simulating the reaction using different models under the following conditions: pressure 1 bar, temperature 500-1050K, residence time 1.0 and 2.0s, and two fuel-to-oxygen ratios (ϕ=0.5 and 1.0). Intermediate and product species mole fractions versus temperature profiles were experimentally measured using a GC (gas chromatograph). The experiment was performed within the high and low-temperature regions, where the high-temperature oxidation showed similar behavior for different compositions but the low-temperature oxidation showed significant dependence on the composition of the surrogates. Additionally, the effect of octane number on oxidation chemistry has been investigated and it was found that the low octane number surrogates were more reactive than high octane number surrogates during the low temperature regime. Furthermore, Kinetic analysis was conducted to provide insightful understanding of different factors of fuel reactivity. In addition, the pyrolysis of two TPRF, (Toluene primary reference fuels) mixtures (TPRF70 and TPRF97.5), representing low octane (research octane number 70) and high octane (research octane number 97.5) gasoline, was also studied in jet-stirred reactor coupled with gas chromatography (GC) analysis to investigate the formation of soot and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) formation.

A jet-stirred reactor was designed and constructed in the Clean Combustion Research Center (CCRC) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST); was validated with n-heptane, iso-octane oxidation and cyclohexene pyrolysis. Different configurations of the setup have been tested to achieve good agreement with results from the literature. Test results of the reactor indicated that installation of a pumping system at the downstream side in the experimental apparatus was necessary to avoid the reoccurrence of reactions in the sampling probe. Experiments in ethyl levulinate oxidation were conducted in the reactor under several equivalence ratios, from 600 to 1000 K, 1 bar and 2 s residence time. Oxygenated species detected included methyl vinyl ketone, levulinic acid and ethyl acrylate. Ethylene, methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide were further quantified with a gas chromatography, coupled with a flame ionization detector and a thermal conductivity detector. The ethyl levulinate chemical kinetic model was first developed by Dr. Stephen Dooley, Trinity College Dublin, and simulated under the same conditions, using the Perfect-Stirred Reactor code in Chemkin software. In comparing the simulation results with experimental data, some discrepancies were noted; predictions of ethylene production were not well matched. The kinetic model was improved by updating several classes of reactions: unimolecular decomposition, H-abstraction, C-C and C-O beta-scissions of fuel radicals. The updated model was then compared again with experimental results and good agreement was achieved, proving that the concerted eliminated reaction is crucial for the kinetic mechanism formulation of ethyl levulinate. In addition, primary reaction pathways and sensitivity analysis were performed to describe the role of molecular structure in combustion (800 and 1000 K for ethyl levulinate oxidation in the jet-stirred reactor).

Soot formation mechanisms have been a target of intense research for decades. The various stages in the soot formation mechanism have been accepted and recognized, nevertheless, the nucleation stage, which corresponds to the transition from gas phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) to condensed particles, is controversial. Pyrene dimerization is considered by many models to be the first step in soot nucleation. In this work, a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) in the temperature range of 700 – 1200 K was used to perform pyrene pyrolysis and to study the various dimerization Nascent particles were chemically analyzed using Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance high resolution mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) with a laser desorption ionization (LDI) source. Simulations were realized based on a simple kinetic model using CHEMKIN-PRO, which addressed three different dimerization pathways: 1) physical dimerization of two pyrene molecules (P-DIM), 2) physical dimerization between a pyrene molecule and a pyrenyl radical (PR-DIM), and/or 3) chemical dimerization between two pyrenyl radicals (C-DIM). The detected species presented 202 and 402 Da masses in the mass spectra with different intensities. At higher temperatures, the formation rate was enhanced due to the sensibility of particle formation to the reaction temperature. The first temperature regime was identified at 700 – 900 K, where the detected species contained only pyrene molecules, stacked by Van der Waals forces (P-DIM). In the 900–1100 K range, the formation of pyrenyl radicals was considered, and the production of PR-DIM was favored. In the higher temperature range (1100–1200 K), the greater species' mass were located and related to the dimerization of two pyrenyl radicals (C-DIM). The temperature increase was reflected in the production of higher concentrations of the pyrenyl radical, resulting in the dominance of the chemical dimerization pathway at 1200 K. The use of different initial concentrations of pyrene in the simulations did not significantly affect the outcome. Results of the experiment were reflected in the simulations, based on the model used, revealing the tendency of the three dimerization pathways, the decreased survival rate of physically-formed dimers, and the enhanced production of chemically-linked dimers at high temperatures.

Rapid consumption of energy storage and serious environmental pollution demand more advanced combustion strategies and more renewable fuels. Development of chemical kinetic models and suitable selection of fuels are key factors in evolving and optimizing new engine and combustion concepts. Alkenes are typical composition of gasoline as well as typical intermediates in the oxidation of larger alkanes and alcohol, while isoprene is one of the important alkenes impacting both the atmospheric pollution and energy depletion. Isoprene is one of the most important species in the atmosphere chemistry, dominating the carbon flux emitted by vegetation and accounting for forty percent of non-methane biogenic emissions globally. Isoprene has been recognized not only as a noteworthy precursor to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons but also as a promising fuel additive. Isoprene has been extensively investigated in the atmosphere chemistry, but its role as a critical diolefin in combustion chemistry has received less attention. Only A few researchers studied isoprene chemistry by carrying out pyrolysis experiments and theoretical calculations. To better understand the combustion chemistry of isoprene, this work presents a detailed experimental and kinetic modeling investigation. This study explored the chemical kinetics of isoprene oxidation in ignition delay times and speciation measurements. Our shock tube experiments for ignition delay times covered the temperatures of 680 – 1470 K, pressures of 1 – 30 bar, and equivalence ratios of 0.5 – 2. We measured laser-based time-resolved CO speciation in a low-pressure shock tube at temperatures of 900 – 1470 K, pressures of 1 and 4 bar, and equivalence ratios of 0.5 and 1. Major species concentrations were measured in a jet-stirred reactor at 680 – 1280 K, 1 bar, and φ = 0.5 – 2. Afterwards, we used 1,3-butadiene as a basis to develop fuel-specific isoprene sub-mechanism and coupled it with a C0-C5 core sub-mechanism. Finally we developed a comprehensive kinetic model including 1585 species and 6884 reactions and achieved a good agreement between the model’s predictions and the experiments. To our knowledge, this study is the first comprehensive effort to describe the process and provides valuable insights into isoprene oxidation. The work reported in the thesis also facilitates the better understanding of combustion chemistry of diolefins.

No description available.

Pour faire face à l’épuisement des combustibles fossiles conventionnels et aux préoccupationsenvironnementales dont le réchauffement climatique, de nouveaux carburants issus de la biomasse sontutilisés purs ou comme co-carburants ; d’autres sont envisagés pour le futur. Une meilleure connaissance dela cinétique chimique d’oxydation des composés présents dans ces carburants alternatifs est indispensable.L’objectif de cette thèse est donc d’obtenir de nouvelles bases de données expérimentales et d’élaborer desmécanismes cinétiques d’oxydation des constituants de ces nouveaux carburants. Des molécules de deuxfamilles chimiques, à savoir les esters méthyliques et les alcools, ont été sélectionnées. L’oxydation de cescomposés purs ou en mélanges a été étudiée en réacteur auto-agité à haute pression (10 atm) et dans un largedomaine de températures (530-1250 K) et de richesses (ca. 0,3-4). Les profils de concentration des réactifs,produits et principaux intermédiaires stables ont été obtenus par spectroscopie d’absorption infrarouge àtransformée de Fourier (IRTF) et chromatographie en phase gazeuse (GC-FID-TCD-MS). Les résultatsobtenus ont permis de proposer des modèles cinétiques permettant de simuler avec un bon accord une grandepartie des résultats expérimentaux obtenus au cours de cette thèse. Les analyses cinétiques ont permis dedéterminer les principales voies de consommation de ces composés (principalement des mécanismes deperoxydation-isomérisation à basse température et de métathèse puis décomposition par β-scission à hautetempérature). Elles ont permis d’identifier les réactions les plus influentes (réactions de métathèse etréactions impliquant particulièrement les composés de la base C0-C2). / To overcome the problems of conventional fossil fuels depletion and environmental issues includingglobal warming, new fuels derived from biomass are used pure or in blends; others are proposed for thefuture. A good knowledge of the chemical kinetics of oxidation of components present in these alternativefuels is necessary. The aim of this work is to obtain a new experimental database and to build a chemicalkinetic reaction mechanism for the combustion of these new fuels. Molecules of two functional groups werechosen: methyl esters and alcohols. The kinetics of oxidation of these compounds were studied in a Jet-Stirred Reactor at high-pressure (10 atm), over the temperature range 530-1250 K, for several equivalencesratios (ca. 0.3-4) Concentration profiles of reactants, products and main stable intermediates were obtainedby probe sampling and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and GC-FID-TCD-MS analyses. Theresults allowed proposing detailed kinetics models that successfully simulate concentration profilesdetermined by Jet-Stirred Reactor method. The kinetic analyses allowed delineating the main oxidation pathsof consumption (peroxidation-isomerisation at low temperature and beyond, metathesis followed by betascissiondecomposition), and identifying the most influencing reactions for the oxidation rate of the fuels, i.e.metathesis reactions with C0-C2 species.

Pollutant control and efficiency improvement propel the need for clean combustion research on internal combustion engines. To design cleaner fuels for advanced combustion engines, gasoline combustion chemistry must be both understood and developed. A comprehensive examination of gasoline combustion chemistry in a jet stirred reactor is introduced in this dissertation. Real gasoline fuels have thousands of hydrocarbon components, which complicate numerical simulation. To mimic the behavior of real gasoline fuels, surrogates, composed of a few hydrocarbon components, are offered as a viable approach. In this dissertation, combustion chemistry of n-heptane, a key surrogate component, is investigated first, followed by an evaluation of a surrogate kinetic model. Finally, real gasoline fuels are assessed with the surrogate kinetic model. Mass spectrometry was employed to measure intermediates in n-heptane low temperature chemistry. Reaction pathways of the observed intermediates were proposed and clarified. n-Heptane low temperature oxidation reaction scheme was expanded by the proposed reactions. After surrogate proposal and formation, a surrogate kinetic model was examined. Low temperature and high temperature chemistry were observed and predicted. The octane number and composition effect on low temperature oxidation reactivity were revealed. High temperature combustion chemistry was found to be similar among the different surrogates, and the surrogate kinetic model reproduced surrogate behavior well in both low and high temperatures. Finally, the proposed surrogate model was examined using real gasoline fuels. Five real FACE (fuel for advanced combustion engines) gasolines were selected as target fuels to cover a wide range of octane number, sensitivity and hydrocarbon compositions. Low temperature oxidation chemistry was investigated for two intermediate octane number gasolines, FACE A and C. For a high octane number gasoline, FACE F, key pollutant production pathways were the focus of high temperature combustion chemistry. Two low octane number gasolines, FACE I and J, were compared with three other FACE gasolines to clarify gasoline combustion chemistry over a wide range. The gasoline surrogate chemical kinetic model proved to be a comprehensive, viable, accurate and powerful approach for numerical simulations. The proposed gasoline surrogate chemical kinetic model can aid in the numerical design of advanced combustion engines.

Depuis ces dernières années, le monde doit faire face à une problématique énergétique importante due à la demande croissante en énergie primaire, sans mentionner les émissions de polluants nocives pour notre environnement. Pour cela les chercheurs étudient des voies alternatives à l’utilisation massive de carburants fossiles, telles que l’incorporation de biocarburants dans les essences conventionnelles, ou le développement de technologies modernes. De nouveaux types de moteur utilisant une combustion à plus basse température sont actuellement à l’étude. Ces derniers auraient l’avantage d’allier à la fois un bon rendement ainsi qu’une diminution des émissions de polluants (NOx et particules de suies). De fortes incertitudes existent pourtant encore, tant sur la caractérisation de la réactivité et des émissions des biocarburants, que sur la chimie d’oxydation en phase gazeuse à basse température. Les principaux objectifs de cette thèse sont donc : - d’établir une base de données expérimentales en identifiant les produits et intermédiaires réactionnels, et plus particulièrement à basse température d’oxydation (de 500 à 1100K), - de développer et valider de nouveaux modèles cinétiques détaillés afin de reproduire les résultats expérimentaux ainsi que la combustion du carburant étudié sur une large gamme de conditions. Les expériences d’oxydation ont été réalisées à partir d’un réacteur auto-agité par jets gazeux. Grâce à son homogénéité à la fois en température et en concentration, il est considéré comme un réacteur idéal, parfaitement adapté aux études cinétiques. Les produits formés en sortie du réacteur, sont analysés via trois méthodes complémentaires : la chromatographie en phase gazeuse (GC), la cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) et la spectrométrie de masse (SM). La GC est une technique efficace dans la séparation des composés (incluant les isomères) et nous permet d’identifier une large gamme de composés. La CRDS est une technique d’absorption spectroscopique qui a l’avantage d’analyser des espèces plus spécifiques telles que HCHO, H2O et H2O2. Enfin la spectrométrie de masse couplée à une source d’ionisation douce permet l’analyse de composés de type hydroperoxyde et de formule R-OOH. Que ce soit H2O2 ou les hydroperoxydes, ces derniers constituent d’importants intermédiaires réactionnels en combustion et il existe malheureusement très peu de données expérimentales les concernant. Due à la fragilité de la liaison O-O, ces espèces sont thermolabiles et difficiles à analyser de manière quantitative (indétectables via la GC). Cette thèse a permis l'étude de l'oxydation de différents carburants, en passant par les hydrocarbures (n-pentane, n-hexane, n-hexènes, n-heptane, iso-octane, n-décane), jusqu'aux molécules oxygénées (diméthyl-éther, 1-hexanol, hexanal, méthyl-esters lourds) / In recent years, the world is facing a major energetic issue due to the growing primary energy demand and not to mention the emissions of harmful pollutants for the environment. Researchers have been studying alternative pathways to the massive use of fossil fuels, such as the incorporation of biofuels into conventional gasoline or the development of modern technology. New types of engines using a low-temperature combustion are currently under study. They have the advantage of combining both a good performance and a reduction in pollutant emissions (like NOx and soot particles). Significant gaps of knowledge are still remaining, both on the characterization of the reactivity, the emissions and on the low-temperature gas phase oxidation chemistry of biofuels. Main objectives of this thesis are to: ? - Establish an experimental database by identifying reaction products and intermediates and more particularly during the low-temperature oxidation (from 500 to 1100K), ? - Develop and validate detailed kinetic models in order to reproduce the combustion of the fuel. Oxidation experiments were performed using a jet-stirred reactor. Thanks to its homogeneity in both temperature and concentration, it can be considered as an ideal reactor for kinetic studies. The products obtained at the outlet of the reactor have been analyzed using three complementary methods: gas chromatography (GC) and cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) and mass spectrometry (MS). The GC method is efficient in separating compounds (including isomers) and allows us to analyze a wide range of products. The CRDS method is an absorption spectroscopic technique which allows us to analyze specific species such as HCHO, H2O and H2O2. Finally MS coupled with a soft ionization technique allows us to analyze hydroperoxides products of formula R-OOH. Both H2O2 and hydroperoxides are important reaction intermediates in combustion, but there is very little experimental data available on those species. Due to their weak O-O bond, those compounds are thermolabile and difficult to analyze (undectable using GC). This thesis allowed the study of different fuels oxidation, from hydrocarbons (n-pentane, n-hexane, n-hexenes, n-heptane, iso-octane, n?decane) to oxygenated compounds (dimethyl-ether, 1-hexanol, hexanal, large methyl-esters)

Les mélanges GtL/EMHC/éthanol ont un potentiel important comme carburant alternatif pour moteur Diesel.Néanmoins, l’utilisation de ce type de biocarburant en moteur Diesel nécessite une connaissance précise de la cinétiqued’oxydation de ses différents constituants.Une étude bibliographique approfondie a permis de sélectionner quatre espèces modèles représentatives des mélangesGtL/EMHC/éthanol : le n-décane, l’iso-octane, l’octanoate de méthyle et l’éthanol. L’oxydation de mélanges de cesespèces modèles a ensuite été étudiée en réacteur auto-agité à haute pression (10 atm), pour trois richesses (0,5 ; 1 et 2) etsur un large domaine de température (550-1150 K). L’analyse des échantillons par chromatographie en phase gazeuse apermis de quantifier les principaux produits issus de l’oxydation des mélanges étudiés. Un mécanisme cinétique détaillécapable de reproduire l’oxydation des mélanges n-décane/iso-octane/octanoate de méthyle/éthanol a ensuite été mis aupoint. Les prédictions du modèle reproduisent de manière satisfaisante les résultats expérimentaux sur toute la gamme derichesse et de température testée en réacteur auto-agité. L’analyse du modèle a également permis de déterminer les voiesréactionnelles prépondérantes en fonction de la composition des mélanges.Enfin, la combustion de mélanges GtL/EMAG/éthanol a été étudiée en moteur monocylindre Diesel. Cette phased’essais, incluant une analyse approfondie des émissions non réglementées, a permis d’observer l’influence de laformulation des carburants sur l’initiation de la combustion et sur la composition des gaz d’échappements. / As concern about global warming and dependences on fossil fuel grows, there is an increasing interest to shift fromtraditional fuel to renewable energy sources. Blends of Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) fuels, biodiesel and ethanol seem to be apromising fuel for compression ignition (CI) engine application. The aim of this work is to study and model the impact ofthese fuels on combustion and pollutant emissions.In the present study, mixtures of 4 species are proposed to represent the oxidation of F-T/biodiesel/ethanol blends: ndecane,iso-octane, methyl octanoate and ethanol. The kinetic of oxidation of n-decane/iso-octane/methyloctanoate/ethanol blends was studied experimentally in a jet stirred reactor at 10 atm and a constant residence time of 1 s,over the temperature range of 560-1160 K and for three equivalence ratio (0.5, 1 and 2). A kinetic reaction mechanismwas developed and used to simulate the oxidation of n-decane/iso-octane/methyl octanoate/ethanol mixtures. Theproposed kinetic reaction mechanism yields a good representation of the kinetic of oxidation of the tested biofuel blends.The kinetic analyses allowed identifying the most influencing reactions for the oxidation rate of the fuels.Finally, four F-T/biodiesel/ethanol blends have been tested on a single cylinder, direct injection, four-stroke Dieselengine. This study, including an analysis of unregulated emissions allowed observing the influence of fuel formulationon combustion and on pollutant emissions. These main engine results tendencies have been compared to the results of thekinetic model.

The chemical complexity of the interstellar medium and combustion environments pose a challenge to the scientific community seeking to provide a molecular understanding of their combustion. More refined spectroscopic tools and methodologies must be developed to selectively detect and characterize the widening array of fuel and interstellar species. The direct relationship between molecular structure and rotational frequencies makes rotational spectroscopy highly structural specific; therefore, it offers a powerful means of characterizing polar molecules. However, rotational spectra usually contain transitions from multiple components with multiple conformations as well as other dynamical properties interleaved with one another, making the assignment of the spectra very challenging. This thesis describes experimental work using broadband microwave spectroscopy and vacuum ultraviolet time-of-flight mass spectrometry to address a number of challenging problems in the spectroscopy of gas complex mixtures.<div><br></div><div>In the first part of my work, we report details of the design and operation of a single apparatus that combines Chirped-Pulse Fourier Transform Microwave spectroscopy (CP-FTMW) with VUV photoionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (VUV TOFMS). The supersonic expansion used for cooling samples is interrogated first by passing through the region between two microwave horns capable of broadband excitation and detection in the 2-18 GHz frequency region of the microwave. After passing through this region, the expansion is skimmed to form a molecular beam, before being probed with 118 nm (10.5 eV) single-photon VUV photoionization in a linear time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The two detection schemes are powerfully complementary to one another. CP-FTMW detects all components with significant permanent dipole moments. Rotational transitions provide high-resolution structural data. VUV TOFMS provides a gentle and general method for ionizing all components of a gas phase mixture with ionization thresholds below 10.5 eV, providing their molecular formulae. The advantages, complementarity, and limitations of the combined methods are illustrated through results on two gas-phase mixtures made up of (i) three furanic compounds, two of which are structural isomers of one another, and (ii) the effluent from a flash pyrolysis source with <i>o-</i>guaiacol as precursor. <br></div><div><br></div><div>The broadband spectrum of 3-phenylpropionitrile was recorded under jet-cooled conditions over the 8-18 GHz region. A novel multi-resonance technique called strong field coherence breaking (SFCB) was implemented to record conformer-specific microwave spectra. This technique involves sweeping the broadband chirp followed by selectively choosing a set of single frequencies pulses to yield a set of rotational transitions that belong to a single entity in the gas-phase mixture, aiding assignment greatly. Transitions belonging to anti and gauche conformers were identified and assigned and accurate experimental rotational constants were determined to provide insight on the molecular structure. Experimental rotational transitions provided relative abundances in the supersonic expansion. A modified line picking scheme was developed in the process to modulate more transitions and improve the overall efficiency of the SFCB multiple selective excitation technique.<br></div><div><br></div><div>The rotational spectrum of 2-hexanone was recorded over the 8-18 GHz region using a CPFTMW spectrometer. SFCB was utilized to selectively modulate the intensities of rotational transitions belonging to the two lowest energy conformers of 2-hexanone, aiding the assignment. In addition, the SFCB method was applied for the first time to selectively identify rotational transitions built off the two lowest energy hindered methyl rotor states of each conformer, 0a₁ and 1e. Since these two states have rotational energy levels with different nuclear spin symmetries, their intensities could be selectively modulated by the resonant monochromatic pulses used in the SFCB method. The difference spectra, final fit and structural parameters are discussed for the three assigned conformers of 2-hexanone.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Developing new experimental techniques that allow for species identification and quantification in the high-temperature environment of reacting flows is a continuing challenge in combustion research. Here, we combine broadband chirped-pulse microwave (rotational) spectroscopy with an atmospheric-pressure jet-stirred reactor as a novel method to identify key reactive intermediates in low-temperature and ozone-assisted oxidation processes. In these experiments, the gas sample, after being withdrawn from reactive dimethyl ether/O₂/Ar, dimethoxy methane/O₂/Ar, and ethylene/O₂/O₃/Ar mixtures, expands via a supersonic expansion into the high vacuum of a microwave spectrometer, where the rotationally cold ensemble of polar molecules is excited with short MW radiation frequency ramps (chirps). The response of the molecular ensemble is detected in the time domain and after a Fourier transformation, the spectral composition of the transient emission is obtained in the frequency domain. The observed rotational frequencies are uniquely correlated to molecular structures and allow for an unambiguous identification of the sampled species. Detection and identification of intermediates such as formaldehyde, methyl formate, formic acid, formic acid anhydride, and the primary ethylene ozonide via literature-known rotational frequencies are evidence for the superb identification capabilities of broadband chirped-pulse microwave spectroscopy. Strong-field coherence breaking is employed to identify and assign transitions due to a specific component. The observation of van der Waals complexes provides an opportunity to detect combustion intermediates and products that are impossible to detect by rotational spectroscopy as isolated molecules. <br></div><div><br></div><div>Lastly, preliminary data on important combustion precursors is studied including pentanal, <i>trans-</i>2-pentenal and <i>o-,m- </i>and <i>p</i>-vinylanisole. The rotational spectrum of these five molecules is recorded from the 8-18 GHz region under jet-cooled conditions. For pentanal and <i>trans-</i>2-pentenal, SFCB was utilized to dissect the broadband spectrum, identifying the four and two lowest energy structures, respectively. The structural parameters and finals fits are provided. <br></div>