A high pressure shock tube study of n-propylbenzene oxidation and its comparison with n-butylbenzene

Ignition delay times have been measured for mixtures of n-propylbenzene in air (≈21% O2, ≈79% N2) at equivalence ratios of 0.29, 0.48, 0.96 and 1.92 and at reflected shock pressures of 1, 10 and 30 atm in a heated high-pressure shock tube over a wide temperature range (1000–1600 K). The effects of reflected shock pressure and of equivalence ratio on ignition delay time were determined and common trends highlighted. Simulations were carried out using the n-propylbenzene sub-mechanism contained in an n-butylbenzene reaction mechanism available in the literature. This kinetic model was improved by including pressure dependent reactions which were not in place previously and the addition of the NUI Galway C0–C4 sub-mechanism. These simulations showed very good agreement with the experimental data. Additionally a comparison is made with experimental data previously obtained and published for n-butylbenzene over the same range of conditions and common trends are highlighted.