COMPUTER-SIMULATION OF SOOT PARTICLE COAGULATION IN LOW-PRESSURE FLAMES

A computer model for soot particle coagulation in the combustion zone of a low pressure acetylene/oxygen flame has been developed. It is assumed that coagulation is the dominant particle growing process. The computations include the one-dimensional numerical solution of the General Dynamic Equation (GDE) for a stationary flame without considering particle nucleation, diffusion, and external forces. The coagulation coefficients were determined from the kinetic theory of gases and include particle interactions caused by van der Waals, coulombic and image forces. The developed computer model is able to predict the experimentally observed particle behaviour. The agreement between calculated and measured ratios of singly charged agglomerates to singly charged primary particles is nearly exact.