SHOCK-TUBE STUDY OF THE IGNITION OF PROPANE AT INTERMEDIATE TEMPERATURES AND HIGH PRESSURES

Abstract

The ignition delay times of lean (Φ = 0.5) propane–air mixtures were measured in the temperature range 900 K ≤T ≤ 1300 K at pressures of 10 and 30 bar, respectively. The results obtained are in very good agreement with measurements of Cadman, Thomas, and Butler (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., Vol. 2, p. 5411, 2000). The experiments confirm that the activation energy of the ignition delay time decreases at around 1050 K and a linear extrapolation is not possible. Reaction schemes used in the literature cannot predict the ignition delay times at these low temperatures. CCD pictures show that the ignition occurs in the middle of the shock tube.

Keywords:

• high pressures
• intermediate temperatures
• propane ignition
• shock tube

The authors thank Mr. J. Albrecht and Mr. K. Hitzbleck for their help in conducting the experiments.