Public Thesis Defense of Yanan HUO - IMMC
sst |
Experimental and numerical kinetic study of OME1-3 combustion in low-pressure laminar flames
February 10th, 2026, 4:15pm - Auditorium BARB 94, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Oxymethylene ethers (OMEs) have emerged as promising synthetic fuels for carbon-neutral combustion owing to their molecular structure and nearly
soot-free oxidation. Despite growing interest, their combustion chemistry, particularly for higher homologues, remains insufficiently characterised. This thesis provides an integrated experimental and kinetic modeling study of OME1-3 to establish a coherent understanding of their oxidation behaviour across pressure regimes relevant to both fundamental and applied combustion. Low-pressure premixed laminar flames of OME1-3 were investigated using molecular beam mass spectrometry (MBMS) coupled with electron-impact ionization. Detailed species profiles were obtained for major products and reactive intermediates, providing direct insight into fuel oxidation pathways. The results reveal that increasing chain length from OME1 to OME3 shifts the reaction zone of the flame upstream and accelerates the overall fuel conversion, while maintaining the universal sequence of intermediates consumption (fuel→ CH2O→ HCO→ CO→ CO2). The speciation trends demonstrate that OME3 yield higher concentrations of oxygenated intermediates, reflecting enhanced internal oxygen content and altered radical pool dynamics.
Jury members
Prof. Jeanmart Hervé (UCLouvain), Supervisor
Dr. Dias Véronique (UCLouvain), Supervisor
Prof. Ronsse Renaud (UCLouvain), Chairperson
Prof. Contino Francesco (UCLouvain), Secretary
Dr. Desgroux Pascale (CNRS, Université de Lille)
Dr. Kathrotia Trupti (DLR)