Awad B. S. Alquaity

High-Temperature Experimental and Theoretical Study of the Unimolecular Dissociation of 1,3,5-Trioxane

Unimolecular dissociation of 1,3,5-trioxane was investigated experimentally and theoretically over a wide range of conditions. Experiments were performed behind reflected shock waves over the temperature range of 775-1082 K and pressures near 900 Torr using a high-repetition rate time of flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS) coupled to a shock tube (ST). Reaction products were identified directly, and it was found that formaldehyde is the sole product of 1,3,5-trioxane dissociation. Reaction rate coefficients were extracted by the best fit to the experimentally measured concentration-time histories. Additionally, high-level quantum chemical and RRKM calculations were employed to study the falloff behavior of 1,3,5-trioxane dissociation. Molecular geometries and frequencies of all species were obtained at the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ, MP2/cc-pVTZ, and MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ levels of theory, whereas the single-point energies of the stationary points were calculated using coupled cluster with single and double excitations including the perturbative treatment of triple excitation (CCSD(T)) level of theory. It was found that the dissociation occurs via a concerted mechanism requiring an energy barrier of 48.3 kcal/mol to be overcome. The new experimental data and theoretical calculations serve as a validation and extension of kinetic data published earlier by other groups. Calculated values for the pressure limiting rate coefficient can be expressed as log10 k∞ (s(-1)) = [15.84 - (49.54 (kcal/mol)/2.3RT)] (500-1400 K).

Sensitive and ultra-fast species detection using pulsed cavity ringdown spectroscopy.

Pulsed cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS) is used to develop a novel, ultra-fast, high-sensitivity diagnostic for measuring species concentrations in shock tube experiments. The diagnostic is demonstrated by monitoring trace concentrations of ethylene in the mid-IR region near 949.47 cm⁻¹. Each ringdown measurement is completed in less than 1 µs and the time period between successive pulses is 10 µs. The high sensitivity diagnostic has a noise-equivalent detection limit of 1.08 x 10⁻⁵ cm⁻¹ which enables detection of 15 ppm ethylene at fuel pyrolysis conditions (1845 K and 2 bar) and 294 ppb ethylene under ambient conditions (297 K and 1 bar). To our knowledge, this is the first successful application of the cavity ringdown method to the measurement of species time-histories in a shock tube.

Measurements of Positively Charged Ions in Premixed Methane-Oxygen Atmospheric Flames

ABSTRACT Cations and anions are formed as a result of chemi-ionization processes in combustion systems. Electric fields can be applied to reduce emissions and improve combustion efficiency by active control of the combustion process. Detailed flame ion chemistry models are needed to understand and predict the effect of external electric fields on combustion plasmas. In this work, a molecular beam mass spectrometer (MBMS) is utilized to measure ion concentration profiles in premixed methane–oxygen argon burner-stabilized atmospheric flames. Lean and stoichiometric flames are considered to assess the dependence of ion chemistry on flame stoichiometry. Relative ion concentration profiles are compared with numerical simulations using various temperature profiles, and good qualitative agreement was observed for the stoichiometric flame. However, for the lean flame, numerical simulations misrepresent the spatial distribution of selected ions greatly. Three modifications are suggested to enhance the ion mechanism and improve the agreement between experiments and simulations. The first two modifications comprise the addition of anion detachment reactions to increase anion recombination at low temperatures. The third modification involves restoring a detachment reaction to its original irreversible form. To our knowledge, this work presents the first detailed measurements of cations and flame temperature in canonical methane–oxygen-argon atmospheric flat flames. The positive ion profiles reported here may be useful to validate and improve ion chemistry models for methane-oxygen flames.

Theoretical study of the reaction kinetics of atomic bromine with tetrahydropyran.

A detailed theoretical analysis of the reaction of atomic bromine with tetrahydropyran (THP, C5H10O) was performed using several ab initio methods and statistical rate theory calculations. Initial geometries of all species involved in the potential energy surface of the title reaction were obtained at the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level of theory. These molecular geometries were reoptimized using three different meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) functionals. Single-point energies of the stationary points were obtained by employing the coupled-cluster with single and double excitations (CCSD) and fourth-order Møller-Plesset (MP4 SDQ) levels of theory. The computed CCSD and MP4(SDQ) energies for optimized structures at various DFT functionals were found to be consistent within 2 kJ mol(-1). For a more accurate energetic description, single-point calculations at the CCSD(T)/CBS level of theory were performed for the minimum structures and transition states optimized at the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level of theory. Similar to other ether + Br reactions, it was found that the tetrahydropyran + Br reaction proceeds in an overall endothermic addition-elimination mechanism via a number of intermediates. However, the reactivity of various ethers with atomic bromine was found to vary substantially. In contrast with the 1,4-dioxane + Br reaction, the chair form of the addition complex (c-C5H10O-Br) for THP + Br does not need to undergo ring inversion to form a boat conformer (b-C4H8O2-Br) before the intramolecular H-shift can occur to eventually release HBr. Instead, a direct, yet more favorable route was mapped out on the potential energy surface of the THP + Br reaction. The rate coefficients for all relevant steps involved in the reaction mechanism were computed using the energetics of coupled cluster calculations. On the basis of the results of the CCSD(T)/CBS//B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level of theory, the calculated overall rate coefficients can be expressed as kov.,calc.(T) = 4.60 × 10(-10) exp[-20.4 kJ mol(-1)/(RT)] cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for the temperature range of 273-393 K. The calculated values are found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental data published previously.

Ion Measurements in Premixed Methane-Oxygen Flames

Ions are formed as a result of chemi-ionization processes in combustion systems. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in understanding flame ion chemistry due to the possible application of external electric fields to reduce emissions and improve combustion efficiency by active control of combustion process. In order to predict the effect of external electric fields on combustion plasma, it is critical to gain a good understanding of the flame ion chemistry. In this work, a Molecular Beam Mass Spectrometer (MBMS) is utilized to measure ion concentration profiles in premixed methane-oxygen-argon burner-stabilized flames. Lean, stoichiometric and rich flames at atmospheric pressure are used to study the dependence of ion chemistry on equivalence ratio of premixed flames. The relative ion concentration profiles are compared qualitatively with previous methane-oxygen studies and show good agreement. The relative ion concentration data obtained in the present study can be used to validate and improve ion chemistry models for methane-oxygen flames.