Rich methane premixed laminar flames doped by light unsaturated hydrocarbons: III. Cyclopentene

In line with the studies presented in Parts I (methane flame seeded with allene and propyne) and II (methane flame seeded with 1,3-butadiene) of this paper, the structure of a laminar rich premixed methane flame doped with cyclopentene has been investigated. The gases of this flame contain 15.3% (molar) of methane, 26.7% of oxygen, and 2.4% cyclopentene, corresponding to an overall equivalence ratio of 1.79 and a C5H8/CH4 ratio of 15.7%. The flame has been stabilized on a burner at a pressure of 6.7 kPa using argon as dilutant, with a gas velocity at the burner of 36 cm/s at 333 K. The measured temperature ranged from 627 K close to the burner up to 2027 K. Species quantified by gas chromatography included the usual methane C0–C2 combustion products, but also propyne, allene, propene, propane, 1-butene, 1,3-butadiene, 1,2-butadiene, vinylacetylene, diacetylene, cyclopentadiene, 1,3-pentadiene, benzene, and toluene. A new mechanism for the oxidation of cyclopentene has been developed and added to the former model for the oxidation of small unsaturated hydrocarbons, benzene, and toluene described in Parts I and II. The whole mechanism involved 175 species in 1134 reactions. The main reaction pathways of consumption of cyclopentene and of formation of benzene and toluene are presented and discussed from flow rate analyses.