Understanding the impact of molecular structure on the formation of stable intermediates during the pyrolysis of monoalkylated cyclohexanes in a shock tube

Alkylcyclohexanes are common constituents of conventional jet fuels and are expected to be a vital molecular subclass in next-generation, sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). In an effort to advance the current understanding of the combustion chemistry of these species at engine-relevant conditions, we measured the time-resolved evolution of key stable intermediates during the pyrolysis of cyclohexane (CH) and four monoalkylated cyclohexanes: methylcyclohexane (MCH), ethylcyclohexane (ECH), propylcyclohexane (PCH), and butylcyclohexane (BCH), using laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) in a shock tube. These experiments were conducted using 2 % Fuel/Argon test mixtures at a nominal pressure of 2 atm over the temperature range 1150–1530 K. Simultaneous tracking of the mole fraction time histories of methane, ethylene, and larger alkenes (>C₂) provided new, valuable insight into the high-temperature reactivity of the five fuels studied. Studying all five fuels under similar test conditions enabled us to observe clear trends in the yields of different pyrolysis products with varying molecular structure, specifically increasing the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain. The fuel structure effects investigated in this work are instrumental in characterizing the pyrolysis product distribution, and thereby the overall combustion behavior of cyclohexane derivatives with longer (>C₄) alkyl chains. We believe the multi-wavelength speciation data presented in this work can significantly contribute towards the development of robust, simplified, and fuel-specific kinetic models for monoalkylated cyclohexanes.