Effects of blending 2,5-dimethylfuran on the laminar burning velocity and ignition delay time of isooctane/air mixture

The prospects of 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) as a bio-derived fuel that can be blended with gasoline are believed to be impressive. However, the effects of blending DMF on the key combustion parameters like the laminar burning velocity and ignition delay time of gasoline/air mixture need to be studied extensively for the successful implementation of the fuel mixture in spark ignition engines. Therefore, a skeletal chemical kinetic mechanism, comprising of 999 reactions among 218 species, has been developed in the present work for this purpose. The proposed chemical kinetic model has been validated against a wide range of experimental data for the laminar burning velocity and ignition delay time of isooctane (representing gasoline), DMF and their blends. It has been found from the present study that the thermal diffusivity of the unburnt gas mixture changes by a very small amount from the corresponding value for the pure isooctane/air mixture when DMF is added. Unlike isooctane, the DMF molecule does not consume H radicals during its primary breakup. Therefore, the maximum laminar burning velocity increases marginally when 50% DMF is blended with isooctane due to the increased presence of H radicals in the flame. The negative temperature coefficient behaviour in the ignition delay time of the isooctane fuel vanishes when 30% DMF (v/v) is blended to it.     

Surrogate formulation for diesel and jet fuels using the minimalist functional group (MFG) approach

Surrogate fuels aim to reproduce real fuel combustion characteristics in order to enable predictive simulations and fuel/engine design. In this work, surrogate mixtures were formulated for three diesel fuels (Coryton Euro and Coryton US-2D certification grade and Saudi pump grade) and two jet fuels (POSF 4658 and POSF 4734) using the minimalist functional group (MFG) approach, a method recently developed and tested for gasoline fuels. The diesel and jet fuel surrogates were formulated by matching five important functional groups, while minimizing the surrogate components to two species. Another molecular parameter, called as branching index (BI), which denotes the degree of branching was also used as a matching criterion. The present works aims to test the ability of the MFG surrogate methodology for high molecular weight fuels (e.g., jet and diesel). ¹H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to analyze the composition of the groups in diesel fuels, and those in jet fuels were evaluated using the molecular data obtained from published literature. The MFG surrogates were experimentally evaluated in an ignition quality tester (IQT), wherein ignition delay times (IDT) and derived cetane number (DCN) were measured. Physical properties, namely, average molecular weight (AMW) and density, and thermochemical properties, namely, heat of combustion and H/C ratio were also compared. The results show that the MFG surrogates were able to reproduce the combustion properties of the above fuels, and we demonstrate that fewer species in surrogates can be as effective as more complex surrogates. We conclude that the MFG approach can radically simplify the surrogate formulation process, significantly reduce the cost and time associated with the development of chemical kinetic models, and facilitate surrogate testing.     

Development of a reduced chemical kinetic mechanism for a gasoline surrogate for gasoline HCCI combustion

A reduced chemical kinetic mechanism consisting of 48 species and 67 reactions is developed and validated for a gasoline surrogate fuel. The surrogate fuel is modeled as a blend of iso-octane, n-heptane, and toluene. The mechanism reduction is performed using sensitivity analysis, investigation of species concentrations, and consideration of the main reaction path. Comparison between ignition delay times calculated using the proposed mechanism and those obtained from shock tube data show that the reduced mechanism can predict delay times with good accuracy at temperatures above 1000 K. The mechanism can also predict the two-stage ignition at the moment of ignition. A rapid compression machine (RCM) is designed to measure ignition delay times of gasoline and gasoline surrogates at temperatures between 890 and 1000 K. Our experimental results suggest that a new gasoline surrogate that has a different mixture ratio than previously defined surrogates is the most similar to gasoline. In addition, the reduced mechanism is validated for the RCM experimental conditions using CFD simulations.     

Experimental and kinetic modeling study of combustion of JP-8, its surrogates and components in laminar premixed flows

Experimental and kinetic modeling studies are carried out to characterize premixed combustion of jet fuels, their surrogates, and reference components in laminar nonuniform flows. In previous studies, it was established that the Aachen surrogate made up of 80 % n-decane and 20 % trimethylbenzene by weight, and surrogate C made up of 57 % n-dodecane, 21 % methylcyclohexane and 22 % o-xylene by weight, reproduce key aspects of combustion of jet fuels in laminar nonpremixed flows. Here, these surrogates and a jet fuel are tested in premixed, nonuniform flows. The counterflow configuration is employed, and critical conditions of extinction are measured. In addition, the reference components tested are n-heptane, n-decane, n-dodecane, methylcyclohexane, trimethylbenzene, and o-xylene. Measured critical conditions of extinction of the Aachen surrogate and surrogate C are compared with those for the jet fuel. In general the alkanes n-heptane, n-decane, and n-dodecane, and methylcyclohexane are found to be more reactive than the aromatics o-xylene and trimethylbenzene. Flame structure and critical conditions of extinction are predicted for the reference components and the surrogates using a semi-detailed kinetic model. The predicted values are compared with experimental data. Sensitivity analysis shows that the lower reactivity of the aromatic species arises from the formation of resonantly stabilized radicals. These radicals are found to have a scavenging effect. The present study on premixed flows together with previous studies on nonpremixed flows show that the Aachen surrogate and surrogate C reproduce many aspects of premixed and nonpremixed combustion of jet fuels.     

Development of a reduced biodiesel surrogate model for compression ignition engine modeling

Methylbutanoate (MB), a C₄ methyl ester, represents the simplest surrogate that captures the chemical effects of the ester moiety in biodiesel and biodiesel surrogates. An updated chemical kinetic model has been developed to characterize the ignition and flame characteristics of MB. The mechanistic elements within this model that relate to the MB and smaller ester/oxygenate sub-mechanisms are drawn from the prototypical Fisher et al. model and from more recent theory and modeling efforts. The MB model development which is based on an iterative procedure involving global sensitivity analyses to identify elementary reactions that govern ignition and subsequent high level ab initio based theoretical updates to these reaction rates are presented. The MB model makes reasonable predictions of ignition delays and laminar flame speeds.The C₅–C₇ submechanisms from the LLNL n-heptane (NH) model were merged with the present MB model to obtain a detailed chemical kinetics model for a surrogate blend representing biodiesel. The detailed MB-NH model (661 species) was reduced using graph based techniques. The robust reduction techniques employed result in a reduced model (145 species) that is in good agreement with the detailed model over a wide range of conditions. 3-D compression ignition (CI) engine simulations utilizing this reduced chemistry model for MB-NH blends as a surrogate for biodiesel show good agreement with the experimental data suggesting the utility of this model for predictions of combustion and emission characteristics of biodiesel in realistic CI engine simulations.     

Detailed and simplified kinetic models of n-dodecane oxidation: The role of fuel cracking in aliphatic hydrocarbon combustion

A detailed kinetic model is proposed for the combustion of normal alkanes up to n-dodecane above 850 K. The model was validated against experimental data, including fuel pyrolysis in plug flow and jet-stirred reactors, laminar flame speeds, and ignition delay times behind reflected shock waves, with n-dodecane being the emphasis. Analysis of the computational results reveal that for a wide range of combustion conditions, the kinetics of fuel cracking to form smaller molecular fragments is fast and may be decoupled from the oxidation kinetics of the fragments. Subsequently, a simplified model containing a minimal set of 4 species and 20 reaction steps was developed to predict the fuel pyrolysis rate and product distribution. Combined with the base C₁-C₄ model, the simplified model predicts fuel pyrolysis rate and product distribution, laminar flame speeds, and ignition delays as close as the detailed reaction model.     

Combustion characteristics and detailed simulations of surrogates for a Tier II gasoline certification fuel

An experimental and numerical study of combustion of a gasoline certification fuel (‘indolene’), and four (S4) and five (S5) component surrogates for it, is reported for the configurations of an isolated droplet burning with near spherical symmetry in the standard atmosphere, and a single cylinder engine designed for advanced compression ignition of pre-vaporized fuel. The intent was to compare performance of the surrogate for these different combustion configurations and to assess the broader applicability of the kinetic mechanism and property database for the simulations. A kinetic mechanism comprised of 297 species and 16,797 reactions was used in the simulations that included soot formation and evolution, and accounted for unsteady transport, liquid diffusion inside the droplet, radiative heat transfer, and variable properties. The droplet data showed a clear preference for the S5 surrogate in terms of burning rate. The simulations showed generally very good agreement with measured droplet, flame, and soot shell diameters. Measurements of combustion timing, in-cylinder pressure, and mass-averaged gas temperature were also well predicted with a slight preference for the S5 surrogate. Preferential vaporization was not evidenced from the evolution of droplet diameter but was clearly revealed in simulations of the evolution of mixture fractions inside the droplets. The influence of initial droplet diameter (D_o) on droplet burning was strong, with S5 burning rates decreasing with increasing D_o due to increasing radiation losses from the flame. Flame extinction was predicted for D_o =3.0 mm as a radiative loss mechanism but not predicted for smaller D_o for the conditions of the simulations.     

Exploring fuel isomeric effects on laminar flame propagation of butylbenzenes at various pressures

This work reports an experimental and kinetic modeling investigation on the laminar flame propagation of three butylbenzene isomers (n-butylbenzene, iso-butylbenzene and tert-butylbenzene)/air mixtures. The experiments were performed in a high-pressure constant-volume cylindrical combustion vessel at the initial temperature of 423 K, initial pressures of 1–10 atm, and equivalence ratios (?) of 0.7–1.5. The laminar burning velocities of butylbenzene/O₂/He mixtures were also measured at 423 K, 10 atm and ? = 1.5 to provide additional experimental data under conditions that the butylbenzene/air experiments are susceptible of cellular instability. Comparison among the laminar burning velocities of butylbenzenes including both the three isomers investigated in this work and sec-butylbenzene investigated in our recent work [Combust. Flame 211 (2020) 18–31] shows remarkable fuel isomeric effects, that is, iso-butylbenzene has the slowest laminar burning velocities, followed by n-butylbenzene and tert-butylbenzene, while sec-butylbenzene has the fastest laminar burning velocities. A kinetic model for butylbenzene combustion was developed to simulate the laminar flame propagation of butylbenzenes. Sensitivity analysis was performed to reveal important reactions in laminar flame propagation of butylbenzenes, including both small species reactions and fuel-specific reactions. Kinetic effects are concluded to result in the different laminar burning velocities of four butylbenzene isomers. Small species reactions control the laminar flame propagation under lean conditions, which results in small differences of laminar burning velocities. Chain termination reactions, especially fuel-specific reactions, have important contributions to inhibit the laminar flame propagation under rich conditions. The structural features of butylbenzene isomers can significantly affect the formation of some crucial radicals such as methyl, cyclopentadienyl and benzyl radicals under rich conditions, which leads to remarkable fuel isomeric effects on their laminar burning velocities, especially at high pressures.     

Autoignition of gasoline and its surrogates in a rapid compression machine

The analysis and interpretation of the combustion chemistry is greatly simplified by using simple mixtures of pure components, referred to as surrogates, in lieu of fully-blended transportation fuels, such as gasoline. Recognizing that the ability to model autoignition chemistry is critical to understanding the operation of Homogeneous Charged Compression Ignition engines, this work is an attempt to experimentally and computationally assess the autoignition responses of research grade gasoline and two of its proposed surrogates reported in the literature using a rapid compression machine (RCM), for the low-to-intermediate temperature range and at high pressures. The first surrogate studied is a three-component mixture of iso-octane, n-heptane, and toluene. The second is a four-component mixture that includes an olefin (2-pentene), in addition to the ones noted above. Ignition delay times of stoichiometric mixtures, for gasoline and the two surrogates in air, are measured using an RCM for pressures of 20 and 40 bar, and in the temperature range of 650–900 K. The four-component surrogate is found to emulate the ignition delay times of gasoline more closely when compared to the three-component surrogate. Additionally, the experimental data are compared against the computed results from a recently developed surrogate model for gasoline combustion. A good agreement between the experimental and computed results is observed, while discrepancies are also identified and discussed.     

Counterflow ignition and extinction of FACE gasoline fuels

The demand for petroleum-derived gasoline in the transportation sector is on the rise. For better knowledge of gasoline combustion in practical combustion systems, this study presents experimental measurements and numerical prediction of autoignition temperatures and extinction limits of six FACE (fuels for advanced combustion engines) gasoline fuels in counterflow flames. Extinction limits were measured at atmospheric pressures while the experiments for autoignition temperatures were carried out at atmospheric and high pressures. For atmospheric pressure experiment, the fuel stream consists of the pre-vaporized fuel diluted with nitrogen, while a condensed fuel configuration is used for ignition experiment at higher chamber pressures. The oxidizer stream is pure air. Autoignition temperatures of the tested fuels are nearly the same at atmospheric pressure, while a huge difference is observed as the pressure is increased. Unlike the ignition temperatures at atmospheric pressures, minor difference exists in the extinction limits of the tested fuels. Simulations were carried out using a recently developed gasoline surrogate model. Both multi-component and n-heptane/isooctane mixtures were used as surrogates for the simulations. Overall, the n-heptane/isooctane surrogate mixtures are consistently more reactive as compared the multi-component surrogate mixtures. Transport weighted enthalpy and radical index analysis was used to explain the differences in extinction strain rates for the various fuels.     

Development and validation of an n-dodecane skeletal mechanism for spray combustion applications

n-Dodecane is a promising surrogate fuel for diesel engine study because its physicochemical properties are similar to those of the practical diesel fuels. In the present study, a skeletal mechanism for n-dodecane with 105 species and 420 reactions was developed for spray combustion simulations. The reduction starts from the most recent detailed mechanism for n-alkanes consisting of 2755 species and 11,173 reactions developed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. An algorithm combining direct relation graph with expert knowledge (DRGX) and sensitivity analysis was employed for the present skeletal reduction. The skeletal mechanism was first extensively validated in 0-D and 1-D combustion systems, including auto-ignition, jet stirred reactor (JSR), laminar premixed flame and counter flow diffusion flame. Then it was coupled with well-established spray models and further validated in 3-D turbulent spray combustion simulations under engine-like conditions. These simulations were compared with the recent experiments with n-dodecane as a surrogate for diesel fuels. It can be seen that combustion characteristics such as ignition delay and flame lift-off length were well captured by the skeletal mechanism, particularly under conditions with high ambient temperatures. Simulations also captured the transient flame development phenomenon fairly well. The results further show that ignition delay may not be the only factor controlling the stabilisation of the present flames since a good match in ignition delay does not necessarily result in improved flame lift-off length prediction.     

Laminar flame propagation on a horizontal fuel surface: Verification of classical Emmons solution

This work analyses the classical Emmons (1956) solution of flat plate laminar flame combustion on a film of liquid fuel. A two-dimensional (2D) numerical model developed for this purpose has been benchmarked with experimental results available in the literature for methanol. In the parametric study, numerical predictions have been compared with Emmons classical solution. The study shows that the Emmons solution is valid in a range of Reynolds numbers where flame anchors near the leading edge of the methanol pool and the combustion zone is confined around the hydrodynamic and thermal boundary layers. However, in cases of low free stream velocities the combustion zone is beyond the boundary layer zone and the Emmons solution deviates. In cases of very high free stream velocities, the flame moves away from the leading edge and anchors at a location downstream. The Emmons solution is not applicable in this case as well. For the fuel considered in this study (methanol), accounting for thermal radiation, employing an optically thin radiation model, allows better agreement between experimental and numerical temperature profiles but does not affect the mass burning rates.     

Laminar burning velocity and ignition delay time for premixed isooctane–air flames with syngas addition

The effects of blending syngas in different proportions to isooctane on the laminar burning velocity and ignition delay time of the fuel–air mixture have been studied in SI engine relevant conditions. The syngas is assumed to be composed of 50% H₂ and 50% CO. Simulations have been carried out using a skeletal mechanism containing 143 species and 643 reaction steps. It has been found that the blending of syngas augments the laminar burning velocity of isooctane due to increase of the thermal diffusivity of the reactant mixture and alteration in the chemistry of the flame reactions. For the mixture of 30% isooctane/70% syngas, the laminar burning velocity and the ignition delay time values are very close to those corresponding to pure isooctane. Additionally, the effects of exhaust gas recirculation have been explored for the 30% isooctane/70% syngas–air flame. It is seen that the reduction in laminar burning velocity due to the dilution by the recirculated exhaust gas can be compensated by an increase in the unburnt gas temperature. The effect of the exhaust gas dilution on the ignition delay time of 30% isooctane/70% syngas–air mixture has been found to be negligible.     

Catalytic ignition and autothermal combustion of JP-8 and its surrogates over a Pt/γ-Al2O3 catalyst

With the aim of utilizing JP-8 fuel for small scale portable power generation systems, catalytic combustion of JP-8 is studied. The surface ignition, extinction and autothermal combustion of JP-8, of a six-component surrogate fuel mixture, and the individual components of the surrogate fuel over a Pt/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst are experimentally investigated in a packed bed flow reactor. The surrogate mixture exhibits similar ignition–extinction behavior and autothermal temperatures compared to JP-8 suggesting the possibility of using this surrogate mixture for detailed kinetics of catalytic combustion of JP-8. It is shown that JP-8 ignites at low temperatures in the presence of catalyst. Upon ignition, catalytic combustion of JP-8 and the surrogate mixture is self-sustained and robust combustion is observed under fuel lean as well as fuel rich conditions. It is shown that the ignition temperature of the hydrocarbon fuels increases with increasing equivalence ratio. Extinction is observed under fuel lean conditions, whereas sustained combustion was also observed for fuel rich conditions. The effect of dilution in the air flow on the catalytic ignition and autothermal temperatures of the fuel mixture is also investigated by adding helium to the air stream while keeping the flow rate and the equivalence ratio constant. The autothermal temperature decreases linearly as the amount of dilution in the flow is increased, whereas the ignition temperature shows no dependence on the dilution level under the range of our conditions, showing that ignition is dependent only on the type and relative concentration of the active species.     

Ignition and combustion of a falling, single sodium droplet

Ignition and combustion of a single sodium droplet has been studied experimentally, by use of a falling droplet. It is found that the ignition delay time increases first gradually and then rapidly, with decreasing initial temperature and/or oxygen concentration, and reaches the limit of ignitability, because of the suppression of surface reaction in the ignition stage. It is also found that with decreasing droplet diameter, the ignition delay time first decreases gradually, because of the decrease in the droplet mass to be heated, and then increases steeply, because of the enhancement of heat loss from the droplet surface. As for the effect of the relative speed, it is found that the ignition delay time increases with increasing relative speed, because of the enhanced heat loss. Experimental comparisons with the analytical results have also been conducted to elucidate dominant parameters, and it is confirmed that a set of comprehensive parameters in the literature can be useful in correlating dominant parameters that influence the ignition delay and/or the limit of ignitability. Furthermore, the analysis has been extended to determine the critical size for the ignition and that for the minimum ignition delay time. Combustion behavior after the ignition has also been examined, and it is found that d²-law can hold for the sodium droplet combustion. In addition, it is found that the burning rate-constant without forced convection has nearly the same value as those for usual hydrocarbon droplets, while the sodium combustion in air is quite similar to that of the usual hydrocarbon fuel in an oxidizer-rich environment.     

A comprehensive experimental and improved kinetic modeling study on the pyrolysis and oxidation of propyne

To improve our understanding of the combustion characteristics of propyne, new experimental data for ignition delay times (IDTs), pyrolysis speciation profiles and flame speed measurements are presented in this study. IDTs for propyne ignition were obtained at equivalence ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 in ‘air’ at pressures of 10 and 30 bar, over a wide range of temperatures (690–1460 K) using a rapid compression machine and a high-pressure shock tube. Moreover, experiments were performed in a single-pulse shock tube to study propyne pyrolysis at 2 bar pressure and in the temperature range 1000–1600 K. In addition, laminar flame speeds of propyne were studied at an unburned gas temperature of 373 K and at 1 and 2 bar for a range of equivalence ratios. A detailed chemical kinetic model is provided to describe the pyrolytic and combustion characteristics of propyne across this wide-ranging set of experimental data. This new mechanism shows significant improvements in the predictions for the IDTs, fuel pyrolysis and flame speeds for propyne compared to AramcoMech3.0. The improvement in fuel reactivity predictions in the new mechanism is due to the inclusion of the propyne + H?₂ reaction system along with ?H radical addition to the triple bonds of propyne and subsequent reactions.     

Auto-ignition study of FACE gasoline and its surrogates at advanced IC engine conditions

Robust surrogate formulation for gasoline fuels is challenging, especially in mimicking auto-ignition behavior observed under advanced combustion strategies including boosted spark-ignition and advanced compression ignition. This work experimentally quantifies the auto-ignition behavior of bi- and multi-component surrogates formulated to represent a mid-octane (Anti-Knock Index 91.5), full boiling-range, research grade gasoline (Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines, FACE-F). A twin-piston rapid compression machine is used to achieve temperature and pressure conditions representative of in-cylinder engine operation. Changes in low- and intermediate-temperature behavior, including first-stage and main ignition times, are quantified for the surrogates and compared to the gasoline. This study identifies significant discrepancies in the first-stage ignition behavior, the influence of pressure for the bi- to ternary blends, and highlights that better agreement is achieved with multi-component surrogates, particularly at lower temperature regimes. A recently-updated detailed kinetic model for gasoline surrogates is also used to simulate the measurements. Sensitivity analysis is employed to interpret the kinetic pathways responsible for reactivity trends in each gasoline surrogate.     

Analysis of first stage ignition delay times of dimethyl ether in a laminar flow reactor

The combustion chemistry of the first stage ignition and chemistry/flow interactions are studied for dimethyl ether (DME) with a mathematical analysis of two systems: a plug flow reactor study is used to reduce the reaction chemistry systematically. A skeletal reaction mechanism for the low temperature chemistry of DME until the onset of ignition is derived on the basis of the detailed DME mechanism of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory – see Curran, Fischer and Dryer, Int. J. Chem. Kinetics, Vol. 32 (2000). It is shown that reasonably good results for ignition delay times can be reached using a simple system of three ordinary differential equations and that the resulting analytical solution depends only on two reaction rates and the initial fuel concentration. The stepwise reduction of the system based on assumptions yields an understanding on why these reactions are so important. Furthermore, the validation of the assumptions yields insight into the influence of the fuel and the oxygen concentration on the temperature during the induction phase. To investigate the influence of chemistry/flow interactions, a 2D model with a laminar Hagen–Poiseuille flow and 2D-polynomial profiles for the radial species concentration is considered. For the 2D model, it is found that only the diffusion coefficients and the reactor radius need to be taken into consideration additionally to describe the system sufficiently. Also, the coupling of flow and chemistry is clarified in the mathematical analysis. The insight obtained from the comparison of the 2D model and the plug flow model is used to establish an average velocity for the conversion of ignition locations to ignition delay times in a laminar flow reactor. Finally, the 2D analytical solution is compared against new experimental data, obtained in such a laminar flow reactor for an undiluted DME/air mixture with an equivalence ratio of φ = 0.835 and a temperature range of 555 to 585 K at atmospheric pressure.     

Application of an aerosol shock tube to the measurement of diesel ignition delay times

Shock tube ignition delay times were measured for DF-2 diesel/21% O₂/argon mixtures at pressures from 2.3 to 8.0 atm, equivalence ratios from 0.3 to 1.35, and temperatures from 900 to 1300 K using a new experimental flow facility, an aerosol shock tube. The aerosol shock tube combines conventional shock tube methodology with aerosol loading of fuel-oxidizer mixtures. Significant efforts have been made to ensure that the aerosol mixtures were spatially uniform, that the incident shock wave was well-behaved, and that the post-shock conditions and mixture fractions were accurately determined. The nebulizer-generated, narrow, micron-sized aerosol size distribution permitted rapid evaporation of the fuel mixture and enabled separation of the diesel fuel evaporation and diffusion processes that occurred behind the incident shock wave from the chemical ignition processes that occurred behind the higher temperature and pressure reflected shock wave. This rapid evaporation technique enables the study of a wide range of low-vapor-pressure practical fuels and fuel surrogates without the complication of fuel cracking that can occur with heated experimental facilities. These diesel ignition delay measurements extend the temperature and pressure range of earlier flow reactor studies, provide evidence for NTC behavior in diesel fuel ignition delay times at lower temperatures, and provide an accurate data base for the development and comparison of kinetic mechanisms for diesel fuel and surrogate mixtures. Representative comparisons with several single-component diesel surrogate models are also given.     

Autoignition of surrogate fuels at elevated temperatures and pressures

Autoignition of Jet-A and mixtures of benzene, hexane, and decane in air has been studied using a heated shock tube at mean post-shock pressures of 8.5 ± 1 atm within the temperature range of 1000–1700 K with the objective of identifying surrogate fuels for aviation kerosene. The influence of each component on ignition delay time and on critical conditions required for strong ignition of the mixture has been deduced from experimental observations. Correlation equation for Jet-A ignition times has been derived from the measurements. It is found that within the scatter of experimental data dilution of n-decane with benzene and n-hexane leads to slight increase in ignition times at low temperatures and does not change critical temperatures required for direct initiation of detonations in comparison with pure n-decane/air mixtures. Ignition times in 20% hexane/80% decane (HD), 20% benzene/80% decane (BD) and 18.2% benzene/9.1% hexane/72.7% decane (BHD) mixtures at temperature range of T  1450–1750 K correlate well with induction time of Jet-A fuel suggesting that these mixtures could serve as surrogates for aviation kerosene. At the same time, HD, BD and BHD surrogate fuels demonstrate a stronger autoignition and peak velocities of reflected shock front in comparison with Jet-A and n-decane/air mixtures.