Computer modeling of engine knock chemistry

The development of detailed chemical kinetic reaction mechanisms for analysis of autoignition and knocking of complex hydrocarbon fuels is described. The wide ranges of temperature and pressure encountered by end gases in automobile engine combustion chambers result in extreme demands on the reaction mechanisms intended to describe knocking conditions. The reactions and chemical species that are most important in each temperature and pressure regime are discussed, and the validation of these reaction mechanisms through comparison with idealized experimental results is described. The use of these mechanisms is illustrated through comparisons between computed results and experimental data obtained in actual knocking engines