Chemical kinetic study of dimethylether oxidation in a jet stirred reactor from 1 to 10 ATM: Experiments and kinetic modeling

The oxidation of dimethyl ether (DME) has been studied in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR). The experiments cover a wide range of conditions: 1–10 atm, 0.2≤≤2.0, 800–1300 K. Concentration profiles of reactants, internediates, and products of the oxidation of DME were measured in a fused silica JSR by low-pressure, sonic-probe sampling and off-line gas chromatography analyses. These results represent the first detailed kinetic study of DME oxidation in a reactor. They demonstrate that the oxidation of DME does not yield higher molecular weight compounds. A numerical model consisting of a detailed kinetic-reaction mechanism with 286 reactions (most of them reversible) among 43 species describes DME oxidation in a JSR. A generally good agreement between the data and the model was observed. The kinetic modeling is used to interpret the data.