Soot Formation During Pyrolysis of Methane and Rich Methane/Oxygen Mixtures Behind Reflected Shock Waves

The pyrolysis of CH4/Ar and rich CH4/O2/Ar mixtures behind reflected shock waves were studied both experimentally and theoretically. The experiments were carried out behind reflected shock waves. Simulations were performed within the framework of a detailed kinetic model involving more than 260 species and 2500 elementary steps. The measured and calculated time profiles of soot yield and soot particle temperatures for CH4/Ar and CH4/O2/Ar mixtures proved to be in good agreement. The proposed kinetic model can also describe the temperature and pressure dependences of the ignition delay time for stoichiometric CH4/O2 mixture at low pressures and for rich CH4/O2 mixtures at elevated pressures over a wide pressure range, as well as the promoting effect of C2H6 and C3H8 additives.