Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Collaborative shock tube studies of benzene pyrolysis

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6117646

Three independent shock tube techniques, time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF), atomic resonance absorption spectroscopy (ARAS), and laser-schlieren density gradient measurements (LS), were employed to investigate the thermal decomposition of benzene (C/sub 6/H/sub 6/ or C/sub 6/D/sub 6/) in dilute inert gas mixtures over a wide range of reactant concentration (3 to 21,000 ppM), total pressure (0.2 to 3 atm) and temperature (1515 to 2500/sup 0/K). The latter two methods were used to derive rate constants for the dissociation of C/sub 6/H/sub 6/ ..-->.. C/sub 6/H/sub 5/ + H and C/sub 6/H/sub 5/ ..-->.. C/sub 2/H/sub 2/ + C/sub 4/H/sub 3/ and the overall rate of benzene decomposition that occurred primarily via a direct ring rupture process C/sub 6/H/sub 6/ ..-->.. C/sub 2/H/sub 2/ + C/sub 4/H/sub 4/. The ring rupture step was shown to be in the fall-off region. Rate constants subject to fall-off-effects were adjusted for particular reaction conditions and used in a mechanism which included steps for acetylene pyrolysis to model the major species, C/sub 6/H/sub 6/, C/sub 2/H/sub 2/, C/sub 4/H/sub 2/, recorded by the TOF experiments, D atom production by ARAS, and density gradient profiles by LS.

Research Organization:
New Orleans Univ., LA (USA). Dept. of Chemistry; Wright State Univ., Dayton, OH (USA). Dept. of Chemistry; Illinois Univ., Chicago (USA). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
DOE Contract Number:
AS05-79ER10505
OSTI ID:
6117646
Report Number(s):
CONF-840801-15; ON: DE85006347
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English