The high pressure study of n-propylbenzene pyrolysis

The high pressure and high temperature kinetics of n-propylbenzene pyrolysis were investigated in the High Pressure Single Pulse Shock Tube at University of Illinois at Chicago. Experiments were performed at a nominal pressure of 50 atm, with the temperatures ranging from 1027 to 1678 K. A variety of stable species ranging from aliphatic hydrocarbons to single ring and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were sampled from the shock tube and analyzed using standard gas chromatographic techniques. A detailed chemical kinetic model was developed to simulate the stable species profiles as obtained from the high pressure pyrolysis experiments. The model provides a satisfactory fit for the consumption of the fuel and the formation of the major aliphatic, monoaromatic and polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons. (C) 2012 The Combustion Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.