An autoignition performance comparison of chemical kinetics models for n-heptane

Surrogate models of gasoline typically include the primarily reference fuel (PRF) n-heptane. The chemical kinetics literature contains many models for n-heptane, but no comprehensive survey or performance validation for these models exist. This paper objectively compares the performance of various chemical kinetics models for n-heptane for autoignition, using experimental data from a variety of sources. In doing so, recommendations for choosing appropriate models are made and areas of improvement identified. As a secondary goal, this work also collected and standardized a wide range of shock tube and rapid compression machine autoignition data for this neat fuel. This study represents the first step of a comprehensive study of models for n-heptane, isooctane, toluene, and ethanol alone and in binary, ternary, and quaternary mixtures.