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Department of Mechanical Engineering

Characterisation of the autoignition delay behaviour of n-heptane in the IQT combustion bomb using CFD modelling

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

When n-heptane was tested in the IQT device over a range of temperatures and pressures, the measured autoignition delay did not correlate with the chemical autoignition delay associated with a stoichiometric, homogenous mixture as predicted by detailed chemical kinetic models. ... This project involved an investigation to study and reconcile this discrepancy, using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) techniques to explore the physical conditions prevailing in the IQT device. Specifically, CFD was used to model fuel injection into the IQT, this allowed a more accurate description of the fuel/air ratio and temperature history of the fuel inside the IQT combustion chamber than an assumption of global values. An empirical description of autoignition delay, developed by Yates et al. (2004), was then coupled to the CFD code: enabling the model to determine the progress of the fuel/air mixture to autoignition.

Degree

thesis:*
Grantor dc:publisher.institution
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Year dc:date.issued
2007

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Metcalf, Owen J
Advisors dc:contributor.advisor
  • Swarts, André
  • Yates, Andrew
  • Meyer, Chris

Rights

Language dc:language.iso
eng

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5503
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/5503

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of Cape Town
Base URL
open.uct.ac.za/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
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related terms
citation

Metcalf, Owen J. Characterisation of the autoignition delay behaviour of n-heptane in the IQT combustion bomb using CFD modelling. Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5503