LOW TEMPERATURE OXIDATION OF CYCLIC HYDROCARBONS

iii With foreseeable depletion of conventional crude oil, alternative oil sources, e.g. oil sands, oil shale, and coal liquids, will be increasingly used for transportation fuels production. Cyclic hydrocarbons will consequently play a more significant role in combustion devices. However, understanding of the oxidation of cyclic hydrocarbons lags behind the transition and few cyclic compounds have been studied in depth. In this work, five cyclic hydrocarbons, methylcyclopentane (MCP), cyclohexane (CH), methylcyclohexane (MCH), 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene (tetralin), and decahydronaphthalene (decalin), are studied in a motored CFR octane rating engine with controlled extent of oxidation. The focus is on low temperature oxidation and autoignition behavior which is critical to combustion processes in internal combustion engines. Reactions are conducted at constant engine speed (600 rpm), intake pressure (~ 1 bar), and equivalence ratio (0.25). Compression ratio and engine intake temperature are adjusted to control the reaction extent