The
laminar combustion characteristics of ethyl methyl
carbonate
flames were investigated at initial pressures of 70–130 kPa,
equivalence ratios of 0.6–1.4, and an initial temperature of
373 K using a 36 L constant volume combustion chamber. The Grégoire
mechanism well predicts the laminar burning velocity, pressure power
exponent, and isochoric combustion pressure. The laminar burning velocity
of ethyl methyl carbonate increases from 25.99 to 49.21 cm/s at an
initial pressure of 100 kPa as the equivalence ratio increases from
0.6 to 1.0. Moreover, the Jin method, which assumes that one mole
of ethyl methyl carbonate is decomposed into 2 mol of CH4, 1 mol of CO, and 1 mol of CO2, cannot accurately predict
the laminar burning velocity of the mixtures. The pressure power exponent
indicates that the pressure dependence is more inconspicuous for the
mixtures near the stoichiometric ratio. The maximum isochoric combustion
pressure and maximum rate of pressure rise vary nonmonotonically with
the equivalence ratio, reaching a maximum at ϕ = 1.2. Empirical
expressions for the experimentally obtained combustion characteristics
as a function of the initial pressure and equivalence ratio were established.
The reactions R806: CCOC*OOC = C2H4 + COC*OOH
and R797: CCOC*OOC + H = CCJOC*OOC + H2 had the greatest
effect on promoting and inhibiting the laminar burning velocity in
the decomposition reaction, respectively. The sum of the peak mole
fractions of H/O/OH radicals, the sum of the rate of production of
the key radicals, and the heat release rate all reach their maximum
values at ϕ = 1.1. The reactivity of ethyl methyl carbonate
is mainly controlled by reactions involving COC*OOH. The maximum rate
of pressure rise can be predicted by the sum of the peak rate of H/O/OH
radical production or the heat release rate.