Autoignition Characteristics of Methanol

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the autoignition characteristics of methanol. Experimental conditions which were explored included temperatures in the range of 650-800 K, equivalence ratios of 0.2-17.0, 1 atm pressure, and reactor surface-to-volume ratios. S/V, of 0.6 cm⁻¹″ and 0.48 cm⁻¹. The ignition delay times were correlated with initial temperatures, methanol, and oxygen concentrations and fit to an Arrhenius type expression. The analysis resulted in a global activation energy of 55.2 kcal/mol and fuel and oxidizer concentration exponents of −0.98 and −0.13, respectively. Also, autoignition limit diagrams were developed which distinguish the regions of ignition and non-ignition, as well as show the effects of equivalence ratio and surface-to-volume ratio changes on minimum autoignition temperatures.