SHOCK-TUBE STUDIES OF GAS-PHASE REACTIONS PRECEDING THE SOOT FORMATION PROCESS

Various shock tube techniques have been employed to investigate the kinetics and thermodynamics that are pertinent to the thermal decompositions of acyclic and aromatic fuels. The goal of these studies is to formulate mechanisms that may be applied to the reactions of fuels over a wide range of temperatures and pressures. The process by which the first aromatic rings are formed or ruptured involves a complex sequence of chemical reactions. Measurements of soot yields have identified several key fuels and it is the elucidation of their respective pyrolytic reaction pathways that is the primary focus of this review.