Experimental study on the influence of pressure on soot formation in a shock tube

Abstract

Soot formation in highly argon-diluted methane,-ethylene-, propane-, and acetylene-oxygen mixtures was studied at temperatures from 1600 to 2000 K and total pressures from 3 MPa up to about 10 MPa applying the shock tube technique. Time resolved measurements of soot particle sizes, number concentrations and soot volume concentrations were performed behind the reflected shock wave by monitoring the attenuation of two laser beams with the wavelengths of 488 nm and 633 nm. The influence of temperature, total pressure, and fuel partial pressure on soot formation was a major interest. According to flame experiments it was found that the soot formation is very sensitive to temperature and that the soot volume concentration increases with the fuel partial pressure proportional to pfuel2.