Effects of fuel blending on first stage and overall ignition processes

• Published in: Proceedings of the Combustion Institute 2021, Vol.38 (4), p.5733-5740
• Main Authors: Mayhew, Eric K., Mitsingas, Constandinos M., Coburn, Vincent D., Temme, Jacob E.G., Kweon, Chol-Bum M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Compression ignition; Formaldehyde PLIF; Fuel blends; Fuel spray ignition
• ISSN: 1540-7489; 1873-2704
• DOI: 10.1016/j.proci.2020.11.001

The effects of blending ratio on mixtures of an alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) fuel and a conventional petroleum-derived fuel on first stage ignition and overall ignition delay are examined at engine-relevant ambient conditions. Experiments are conducted in a high-temperature pressure vessel that maintains a small flow of dry air at the desired temperature (825 K and 900 K) and pressure (6 MPa and 9 MPa) for fuel injections from a custom single-hole, axially-oriented injector, representing medium (7.5 mg) and high (10 mg) engine loading. Formaldehyde, imaged using planar laser-induced fluorescence, is measured at discrete time steps throughout the first and second stage ignition process and is used as a marker of unburned short-chain hydrocarbons formed after the initial breakdown of the fuel. The formaldehyde images are used to calculate the first stage ignition delay for each ambient and fuel loading condition. Chemiluminescence imaging of excited hydroxyl radical at 75 kHz is used to determine the overall ignition delay. At all conditions, increased volume fraction of ATJ resulted in longer, but non-linearly increasing, overall ignition delay. Across all of the blends, first stage ignition delay accounted for about 15% of the increase in overall ignition delay compared to the military's aviation kerosene, F-24, which is Jet A with additives, while extended first stage ignition duration accounted for 85% of the increase. It is observed that blends consisting of 0–60% by volume of the low cetane number ATJ fuel produced nearly identical first stage ignition delays. These results will inform the development of ignition models that can capture the non-linear effects of fuel blending on ignition processes.