Experimental and modeling study of methyl cyclohexane pyrolysis and oxidation

Although the combustion chemistry of aliphatic hydrocarbons has been extensively documented, the oxidation of cyclic hydrocarbons has been studied to a much lesser extent. To provide a deeper understanding of the combustion chemistry of naphthenes, the oxidation of methylcyclohexane was studied in a series of high-temperature shock tube experiments. Ignition delay times for a series of mixtures, of varying methylcyclohexane/oxygen equivalence ratios (phi=0.5, 1.0, 2.0), were measured over reflected shock temperatures of 1200-2100 K and reflected shock pressures of 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 atm. A detailed chemical kinetic mechanism has been assembled to simulate the shock tube results and flow reactor experiments, with good agreement observed.