Global uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of a reduced chemical kinetic mechanism of a gasoline, n-butanol blend in a high pressure rapid compression machine.

A detailed evaluation of a recently developed combined n-butanol/toluene reference fuel (TRF) reduced chemical kinetic mechanism describing the low temperature oxidation of n-butanol, gasoline and a gasoline/n-butanol blend was performed using both global uncertainty and sensitivity methods with ignition delays as the predicted output for the temperature range 678 - 858 K, and an equivalence ratio of 1 at 20 bar. The results obtained when incorporating the effects of uncertainties in forward rate constants in the simulations, showed that uncertainties in predicting key target quantities for the various fuels studied are currently large but driven by few reactions. Global sensitivity analysis of the mechanism based on predicted ignition delays of stoichiometric TRF mixtures, showed the toluene + OH route = phenol + CH3 to be among the most dominant pathways in terms of the predicted output uncertainties but an update on the mechanism based on data from a recent study led to the toluene + OH hydrogen abstraction reaction becoming the most dominant reaction as expected. For the TRF/n-butanol blend, hydrogen abstraction reactions by OH from n-butanol appear to be key in predicting the effect of blending. Uncertainties in the temperature dependence of relative abstraction rates from the α and γ sites may still be present within current mechanisms, and in particular may affect the ability of the mechanisms to capture the low temperature delay times for n-butanol. Further studies of the product channels for n-butanol + OH for temperatures of relevance to combustion applications could help to improve current mechanisms. At higher temperatures, the reactions of HO2 and that of formaldehyde with OH also became critical and attempts to reduce uncertainties in the temperature dependent rates of these reactions would be useful

Global Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis of a Reduced Chemical Kinetic Mechanism of a Gasoline, N-Butanol Blend in a High Pressure Rapid Compression Machine

A detailed evaluation of a recently developed combined n-butanol/toluene reference fuel (TRF) reduced chemical kinetic mechanism (Agbro, 2017) describing the low temperature oxidation of n-butanol, gasoline and a gasoline/n-butanol blend was performed using both global uncertainty and sensitivity methods with ignition delays as the predicted output for the temperature range 678 - 858 K, and an equivalence ratio of 1 at 20 bar. A global sampling technique was applied in the simulations in order to quantify the uncertainties of the predicted ignition delays when incorporating the effects of uncertainties in forward rate constants in the simulations. In addition, a variance-based global sensitivity analysis using a high dimensional model representation (HDMR) method was carried out to understand and rank the parameters responsible for the predicted uncertainties. The results showed that uncertainties in predicting key target quantities for the various fuels studied are currently large but driven by few reactions. Global sensitivity analysis of the mechanism based on predicted ignition delays of stoichiometric TRF mixtures, showed the toluene + OH route = phenol + CH3 to be among the most dominant pathways in terms of the predicted output uncertainties but an update on the mechanism based on recent data from the study of Seta led to the toluene + OH hydrogen abstraction reaction becoming the most dominant reaction as expected. For the TRF/n-butanol blend, hydrogen abstraction reactions by OH from n-butanol appear to be key in predicting the effect of blending. Uncertainties in the temperature dependence of relative abstraction rates from the α and γ sites may still be present within current mechanisms, and in particular may affect the ability of the mechanisms to capture the low temperature delay times for n-butanol. Further studies of the product channels for n-butanol + OH for temperatures of relevance to combustion applications could help to improve current mechanisms. At higher temperatures, the reactions of HO2 and that of formaldehyde with OH also became critical and attempts to reduce uncertainties in the temperature dependent rates of these reactions would be useful

Experimental and Chemical Kinetic Modelling Study on the Combustion of Alternative Fuels in Fundamental Systems and Practical Engines

In this work, experimental data of ignition delay times of n-butanol, gasoline, toluene reference fuel (TRF), a gasoline/n-butanol blend and a TRF/n-butanol blend were obtained using the Leeds University Rapid Compression Machine (RCM) while autoignition (knock) onsets and knock intensities of gasoline, TRF, gasoline/n-butanol and TRF/n-butanol blends were measured using the Leeds University Optical Engine (LUPOE). The work showed that within the RCM, the 3-component TRF surrogate captures the trend of gasoline data well across the temperature range. However, based on results obtained in the engine, it appears that the chosen TRF may not be an excellent representation of gasoline under engine conditions as the knock boundary of TRF as well as the measured knock onsets are significantly lower than those of gasoline. The ignition delay times measured in the RCM for the blend, lay between those of gasoline and n-butanol under stoichiometric conditions across the temperature range studied and at lower temperatures, n-butanol acts as an octane enhancer over and above what might be expected from a simple linear blending law. In the engine, the measured knock onsets for the blend were higher than those of gasoline at the more retarded spark timing of 6 CA bTDC but the effect disappears at higher spark advances. Future studies exploring the blending effect of n-butanol across a range of blending ratios is required since it is difficult to conclude on the overall effect of n-butanol blending on gasoline based on the single blend that has been considered in this study. The chemical kinetic modelling of the fuels investigated has also been evaluated by comparing results from simulations employing the relevant reaction mechanisms with the experimental data sourced from either the open literature or measured in-house. Local as well as global uncertainty/sensitivity methods accounting for the impact of uncertainties in the input parameters, were also employed within the framework of ignition delay time modelling in an RCM and species concentration prediction in a JSR, for analysis of the chemical kinetic modelling of DME, n-butanol, TRF and TRF/n-butanol oxidation in order to advance the understanding of the key reactions rates that are crucial for the accurate prediction of the combustion of alternative fuels in internal combustion engines. The results showed that uncertainties in predicting key target quantities for the various fuels studied are currently large but driven by few reactions. Further studies of the key reaction channels identified in this work at the P-T conditions of relevance to combustion applications could help to improve current mechanisms. Moreover, the chemical kinetic modelling of the autoignition and species concentration of TRF, TRF/n-butanol and n-butanol fuels was carried out using the adopted TRF/n-butanol mechanism as input in the engine simulations of a recently developed commercial engine software known as LOGEengine. Similar to the results obtained in the RCM modelling work, the knock onsets predicted for TRF and TRF/n-butanol blend under engine conditions were consistently higher than the measured data. Overall, the work demonstrated that accurate representation of the low temperature chemistry in current chemical kinetic models of alternative fuels is very crucial for the accurate description of the chemical processes and autoignition of the end gas in the engine

Sample-tip interaction of piezoresponse force microscopy in ferroelectric nanostructures

We report on qualitative and quantitative implications of the sample-tip interaction in piezoresponse force microscopy. Our finite-element analysis of adsorbate effects, sample heterogeneities, and tip asymmetries is in agreement with experimental observation of ferroelectric nanostructures. Qualitative discrepancies arise from locally asymmetric tip-sample interaction. Any quantitative determination of field-related material parameters as required for the verification of semiempirical models of the ferroelectric limit typically relies on an overestimated field across the sample. Our findings indicate that adsorbates reduce the actual field across the nanograin by roughly one order of magnitude

The Influence of n-Butanol Blending on the Ignition Delay Times of Gasoline and Its Surrogate at High Pressures

The influence of blending n-butanol at 20% by volume on the ignition delay times for a reference gasoline was studied in a rapid compression machine (RCM) for stoichiometric fuel/air mixtures at 20 bar and 678 K858 K. Delay times for the blend lay between those of stoichiometric gasoline and stoichiometric n-butanol across the temperature range studied. At lower temperatures, delays for the blend were however, much closer to those of n-butanol than gasoline despite n-butanol being only 20% of the mixture. Under these conditions n-butanol acts as an octane enhancer over and above what might be expected from a simple linear blending law. The ability of a gasoline surrogate, based on a toluene reference fuel (TRF), to capture the main trends of the gasoline/ n-butanol blending behaviour was also tested within the RCM. The 3-component TRF based on a mixture of toluene, n-heptane and iso-octane was able to capture the tr ends well across the temperature range studied. Simulations of ignition delay times were also performed using a detailed blended nbutanol/TRF mechanism based on the adiabatic core assumption and volume histories from the experimental data. Overall, the model captured the main features of the blending behaviour, although at the lowest temperatures, predicted ignition delays for stoichiometric n-butanol were longer than those observed. A bruteforce local sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the main chemical processes driving the ignition behaviour of the TRF, n-butanol and blended fuels. The reactions of fuel + OH dominated the sensitivities at lower temperatures, with H abstraction from n-butanol from α and γ sites being key for both the n-butanol and the blend. At higher temperatures the decomposition of H2O2 and reactions of HO2 and that of formaldehyde with OH became critical, in common with the ignition behaviour of other fuels. Remaining uncertainties in the rates of these key reactions are discussed