Kinetic modeling of the oxidation of ethanol and gasoline surrogate mixtures

The kinetic characterization of the oxidation of ethanol/gasoline mixtures is of interest due mainly to its role in sustainable combustion processes. The aim of this paper is to revise and validate a kinetic mechanism of ethanol combustion inside a general scheme able to describe the pyrolysis and oxidation of hydrocarbons. Model predictions and experimental measurements are discussed and successfully compared across a wide range of operating conditions. This study moves from the detailed analysis of species profiles of pure ethanol oxidation in jet-stirred, flow reactors and laminar flames to global combustion properties (ignition delay times and laminar flame speeds) by referring to a large set of literature data; the analysis is then extended to the effect of ethanol on the combustion of ethanol/gasoline mixtures. The large experimental dataset discussed in this paper includes very recent measurements and covers a wide range of operating conditions in terms of pressure, equivalence ratio and fuel mixture composition. The chemical effect of ethanol on the combustion properties of ethanol/gasoline mixtures is also highlighted.