Impact of exhaust gas recirculation and nitric oxide on the autoignition of an oxygenated gasoline: Experiments and kinetic modelling

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and NOx affect the autoignition of gasoline in internal combustion engines. In this work, ignition delay times of an oxygenated gasoline (Euro 6 E10) are investigated with EGR and NOx addition. The experimental data are of interest for gasoline surrogate modeling and for predicting fuel ignition behavior in various engine combustion modes. We studied Euro 6 E10 reactivity with EGR additions of 20 % and 40 % (by mass) doped, in select cases, with high levels of NOx (874, 1501, 3174, and 5568 ppm, by mol%). Experiments were performed in two high-pressure shock tubes (HPSTs) and two rapid compression machines (RCMs) over a wide range of temperature (658-1610 K), equivalence ratio (0.5, 1.0) and at pressures of 20 and 30 bar. Results show that EGR addition inhibits Euro 6 E10 gasoline reactivity in the intermediate-and low temperature regimes, while it is minimally affected at high-temperatures. In contrast, a strong reactivity promoting effect of NOx is observed at temperatures greater than 825 K for all equivalence ratios investigated, while an inhibiting effect is seen at lower temperatures with a high doping of NOx (1501 ppm). For fuel lean cases, where Euro 6/EGR mixtures are sensitized with 3174 - 5568 ppm NOx, a significant reactivity promoting effect is observed across the entire range of conditions investigated, except at temperatures below 830 K, where the NOx-inhibiting effect dominates. A gasoline surrogate model is developed by combining a detailed gasoline surrogate mechanism with appropriate sub-models and making minor updates. The proposed model captures well the influence of EGR and EGR/NOx on Euro 6 E10 autoignition over the wide range of conditions studied here. Finally, sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify key reactions contributing to the perturbative effects of EGR and EGR/NOx on oxygenated gasoline ignition.