Experimental and Kinetic Modeling Study of 3‑Methyl-2-butenol (Prenol) Oxidation

Longer chain alcohols with 4–5
carbon atoms are attractive
alternative fuels as they can be derived from biological sources and
since their combustion leads to lower exhaust gas levels of NOx and soot compared to commercial fossil fuels.
The auto-ignition behavior of fuels that contain both a hydroxyl group
and a CC double bond in their molecular structure is not well
established in the literature. Understanding the influence of these
functional groups on the ignition behavior of fuels is critical in
the development of tailor-made fuels for advanced combustion engines.
In this study, ignition delay times of an unsaturated alcohol, 3-methyl-2-butenol
(prenol), are measured using a high-pressure shock tube and a rapid
compression machine at pressures of 15 and 30 bar at equivalence ratios
of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 in “air” in the temperature range
600–1400 K. A detailed kinetic model is developed and validated
using the new experimental data in this study. In addition, speciation
data in a jet-stirred reactor, ignition delay times, and laminar burning
velocities available in the literature were also used to validate
the new kinetic model. Fuel flux and sensitivity analyses are performed
using this new model to determine the important fuel consumption pathways
and critical reactions that affect the reactivity of prenol.