COMBUSTION OF METHYL TERT-BUTYL ETHER .1. IGNITION IN SHOCK-WAVES

Ignition delay times have been measured for mixtures of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), oxygen, and argon behind reflected shock waves over the temperature range 1,040-1,880 K and with pressures of 2, 3.5, and 4.6 bar. The stoichiometry of the mixes varied from the fuel-lean (with an equivalence ratio phi of 0.15) through to the fuel-rich (with phi = 2.5). The ignition characteristics of methanol and iso-butene were surveyed separately at a pressure of 3.5 bar; in addition, the effect of iso-butene upon the combustion of methanol was followed for a series of mixes of 0.6% methanol that were doped with iso-butene in quantities varying from 0.2% to 0.6%. Finally, the combustion of selected MTBE mixes was compared with the combustion of matching 1:1 mixtures of methanol and iso-butene.