The effect of diluent gases in the shock tube and rapid compression machine

Studying the details of hydrocarbon chemistry in an internal combustion engine is not straightforward. A number of factors, including varying conditions of temperature and pressure, complex fluid motions, as well as variation in the composition of gasoline, render a meaningful characterization of the combusting system difficult. Some simplified experimental laboratory devices offer an alternative to complex engine environments: they remove some of the complexities that exist in real engines but retain the ability to work under engine-relevant conditions. The choice of simplified experimental devices is limited by the range of temperature and pressure at which they can operate; only the shock tube and rapid compression machine (RCM) can reach engine-relevant temperatures and pressures quickly enough and yet withstand the high pressures that occur after the ignition event. Both devices, however, suffer a common drawback: the use of inert diluent gases has been shown to affect the measured ignition delay time under some experimental conditions. Interestingly, this effect appears to be opposite in the shock tube and RCM: in the comparative study of the carrier gases argon and nitrogen, argon decreases the ignition delay time in the shock tube, but increases it in the RCM. This observation is investigated in more detail in this study.