Experimental determination of counterflow ignition temperatures and laminar flame speeds of C2-C3 hydrocarbons at atmospheric and elevated pressures

Experimental data were acquired for: (1) the ignition temperatures of nitrogen-diluted ethylene and propylene by counterflowing heated air for various strain rates and system pressures up to 7 atm; (2) the laminar flame speeds of mixtures of air with acetylene, ethylene, ethane, propylene, and propane, deduced from an outwardly propagating spherical flame in a constant-pressure chamber, for extensive ranges of lean-to-rich equivalence ratio and system pressure up to 5 atm. These data, respectively, relevant for low- to intermediate-temperature ignition chemistry and high-temperature flame chemistry, were subsequently compared with calculated results using a literature C-1-C-3 mechanism and an ethylene mechanism. Noticeable differences were observed in the comparison for both mechanisms, and sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify the reactions of importance. (c) 2004 The Combustion Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.