Experimental and Modeling Study of Methyl Cyclohexane Pyrolysis and Oxidation

Abstract

Although the combustion chemistry of aliphatic hydrocarbons has been extensively documented, the oxidation of cyclic hydrocarbons has been studied to a much lesser extent. To provide a deeper understanding of the combustion chemistry of naphthenes, the oxidation of methylcyclohexane was studied in a series of high-temperature shock tube experiments. Ignition delay times for a series of mixtures, of varying methylcyclohexane/oxygen equivalence ratios (phi=0.5, 1.0, 2.0), were measured over reflected shock temperatures of 1200-2100 K and reflected shock pressures of 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 atm. A detailed chemical kinetic mechanism has been assembled to simulate the shock tube results and flow reactor experiments, with good agreement observed.