Small Skeletal Kinetic Reaction Mechanism for Ethylene–Air Combustion

Ethylene is a fuel
considered for high-speed ram- and scramjet
combustion applications, mainly because of the short ignition delay
time resulting from its high reactivity. Further research and development
on these combustion systems would benefit from simulations of large
eddy (LES) type, which allow some chemical detail to accurately predict
combustion characteristics and pollutant formation. In the present
work, a chemical kinetic mechanism suitable for LES is presented,
consisting of 66 irreversible reactions between 23 species. The mechanism
is extensively validated for combustion characteristics related to
ignition and flame propagation over a wide range of pressure, temperature,
and equivalence ratios that previously published mechanism of this
size have not covered. Agreement with a detailed reference mechanism
is good for ignition delay, flame temperature, and laminar burning
velocities. In addition, overall concentration profiles of major stable
products are in overall good agreement with a reference mechanism.
The skeletal mechanism shows an overall good performance in combination
with a numerical stability and short computation time, making it highly
suitable for combustion LES.