Oxidation of 2,6-dimethylheptane at low temperature: Kinetic modeling and experimental study

Abstract Branched alkanes represent an important class of compounds in conventional fuels and some bio-derived fuels. This study is dedicated to the investigation of the low-temperature oxidation chemistry of 2,6-dimethylheptane using a combination of experimental and computational methods. All the reactants, transition states, and products in the first oxidation stage, which are crucial to the initiation reactions in the low-temperature reaction chain, were optimized through the B3LYP/CBSB7 level of theory and a kinetic mechanism that included the new reaction pathways was assembled. Ignition delay time measurements were carried out in a rapid compression machine and the results were compared with modeling predictions. The kinetic mechanism is able to capture both the first and total ignition delay times with a root-mean-square deviation of 39.6%. In addition, sensitivity analysis is performed to quantify the impact of newly developed chemistry of 2,6-dimethylheptane on ignition delay time. Rate parameters found in this study may be applicable to other branched alkanes with similar molecular structure.