Experimental study of the kinetics of degradation of n-dodecane under thermo-oxidative stress at low temperature and mechanism inferred

Abstract Autoxidation of jet fuels is a complex phenomenon which occurs below 250 ˚C. Caused by naturally dissolved oxygen, the reactions lead to the formation of different oxidation products by a mechanism of degradation which is not yet completely understood. n-dodecane, a linear alkane molecule, has been chosen as a model for jet fuel. The influence of temperature and progress of reactions have been studied using the PetroOXY device, focusing on the beginning of the autoxidation. For the first time, the oxidation products formed in the gas and liquid phases were precisely identified by spectroscopic and chromatographic characterization techniques but also quantified by chemical methods. It was possible to establish the mechanisms involved in the different steps using data from the literature, to propose a new one based on combustion mechanisms and to calculate the kinetic constants of the reactions.