Probing the low-temperature chemistry of ethanol via the addition of dimethyl ether

Considering the importance of ethanol (EtOH) as an engine fuel and a key component of surrogate fuels, the further understanding of its auto-ignition and oxidation characteristics at engine-relevant conditions (high pressures and low temperatures) is still necessary. However, it remains difficult to measure ignition delay times for ethanol at temperatures below 850 K with currently available facilities including shock tube and rapid compression machine due to its low reactivity. Considering the success of our recent study of toluene oxidation under similar conditions [38], dimethyl ether (DME) has been selected as a radical initiator to explore the low-temperature reactivity of ethanol. In …