HOW DO DIESEL-FUEL IGNITION IMPROVERS WORK

A wide-ranging study of the effect of free-radical initiators, especially i-octyl nitrate and di-t-butyl peroxide, on the spontaneous ignition of diesel fuel is reported. The important kinetic processes induced by these additives occur in the gas phase, and not in the liquid droplets. Di-t-butyl and i-octyl nitrate peroxide work in different ways: the nitrate is involved in the ignition process itself, whereas the peroxide competes for sulfur-containing inhibitors in the fuel.