Soot and PAH Formation Characteristics in a Micro Flow Reactor With a Controlled Temperature Profile

To examine soot and PAH formation processes for rich methane/air and acetylene/air mixtures, a micro flow reactor with a controlled temperature profile was employed. In the experiment for a methane/air mixture, four kinds of responses to the variations of flow velocity and equivalence ratio were observed as follows: soot formation without a flame; a flame with soot formation; a flame without soot formation; and neither flame nor soot formation. Soot formations were observed in low flow velocity and high equivalence ratio. Starting point of soot formation shifted to the upstream side, i.e., low-temperature side, of the micro flow reactor with the decrease of flow velocity. One-dimensional steady-state computation was conducted by a flame code. In high flow velocity, low mole fraction of C₂H₂ and high mole fraction of OH were observed in the whole region of the micro flow reactor. Soot volume fraction did not increase in this case. On the other hand, in low flow velocity, high mole fraction of C₂H₂ and low mole fraction of OH were observed at the downstream side of the micro flow reactor. Soot volume fraction increased in this case. Since significant soot formation was observed at the low flow velocity and the high equivalence ratio, experiments with gas sampling were conducted for acetylene/air mixture to investigate temperature and equivalence ratio dependence of soot precursor production in such condition. Volume fractions of benzene increased with an increase of temperature. They were larger at higher equivalence ratio at the same temperature. Volume fractions of styrene increased with an increase of temperature. They were larger at higher equivalence ratio when the temperature is less than 1000 K. However the tendency was changed at 1000 K, styrene volume fraction at equivalence ratio of 7.0 was larger than that at equivalence ratio of 8.0.