Shengkai Wang

Sensitive and rapid laser diagnostic for shock tube kinetics studies using cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy.

We report the first application of cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS) using a coherent light source for sensitive and rapid gaseous species time-history measurements in a shock tube. Off-axis alignment and fast scanning of the laser wavelength were used to minimize coupling noise in a low-finesse cavity. An absorption gain factor of 83 with a measurement time resolution of 20 µs was demonstrated for C2H2 detection using a near-infrared transition near 1537 nm, corresponding to a noise-equivalent detection limit of 20 ppm at 296 K and 76 ppm at 906 K at 50 kHz. This substantial gain in signal, relative to conventional single-pass absorption, will enable ultra-sensitive species detection in shock tube kinetics studies, particularly useful for measurements of minor species and for studies of dilute reactive systems.

Time-resolved in situ detection of CO in a shock tube using cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy with a quantum-cascade laser near 4.6µm

Cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS) using a mid-infrared DFB quantum-cascade laser is reported for sensitive time-resolved (10 μs) in situ CO measurements in a shock tube. Off-axis alignment and fast scanning of the laser wavelength were used to minimize coupling noise in a low-finesse cavity. An absorption gain factor of 91 was demonstrated, which enabled sub-ppm detection sensitivity for gas temperatures of 1000-2100K in a 15 cm diameter shock tube. This substantial improvement in detection sensitivity compared to conventional single-pass absorption measurements, shows great potential for the study of reaction pathways of high-temperature combustion kinetics mechanisms in shock tubes.

Reaction Rate Constant of CH2O + H = HCO + H2 Revisited: A Combined Study of Direct Shock Tube Measurement and Transition State Theory Calculation

The rate constant of the H-abstraction reaction of formaldehyde (CH2O) by hydrogen atoms (H), CH2O + H = H2 + HCO, has been studied behind reflected shock waves with use of a sensitive mid-IR laser absorption diagnostic for CO, over temperatures of 1304-2006 K and at pressures near 1 atm. C2H5I was used as an H atom precursor and 1,3,5-trioxane as the CH2O precursor, to generate a well-controlled CH2O/H reacting system. By designing the experiments to maintain relatively constant H atom concentrations, the current study significantly boosted the measurement sensitivity of the target reaction and suppressed the influence of interfering reactions. The measured CH2O + H rate constant can be expressed in modified Arrhenius from as kCH2O+H(1304-2006 K, 1 atm) = 1.97 × 10(11)(T/K)(1.06) exp(-3818 K/T) cm(3) mol(-1)s(-1), with uncertainty limits estimated to be +18%/-26%. A transition-state-theory (TST) calculation, using the CCSD(T)-F12/VTZ-F12 level of theory, is in good agreement with the shock tube measurement and extended the temperature range of the current study to 200-3000 K, over which a modified Arrhenius fit of the rate constant can be expressed as kCH2O+H(200-3000 K) = 5.86 × 10(3)(T/K)(3.13) exp(-762 K/T) cm(3) mol(-1)s(-1).

Shock-Tube Measurement of Acetone Dissociation Using Cavity-Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy of CO

A direct measurement for the rate constant of the acetone dissociation reaction (CH3COCH3 = CH3CO + CH3) was conducted behind reflected shock wave, utilizing a sub-ppm sensitivity CO diagnostic achieved by cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS). The current experiment eliminated the influence from secondary reactions and temperature change by investigating the clean pyrolysis of <20 ppm acetone in argon. For the first time, the acetone dissociation rate constant (k1) was directly measured over 5.5 orders of magnitude with a high degree of accuracy: k1 (1004-1494 K, 1.6 atm) = 4.39 × 10(55) T(-11.394) exp(-52 140K/T) ± 24% s(-1). This result was seen to agree with most previous studies and has bridged the gap between their temperature and pressure conditions. The current work also served as an example demonstration of the potential of using the CEAS technique in shock-tube kinetics studies.

Cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy with a ps-pulsed UV laser for sensitive, high-speed measurements in a shock tube

We report the first application of cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS) with a ps-pulsed UV laser for sensitive and rapid gaseous species time-history measurements in a transient environment (in this study, a shock tube). The broadband nature of the ps pulses enabled instantaneous coupling of the laser beam into roughly a thousand cavity modes, which grants excellent immunity to laser-cavity coupling noise in environments with heavy vibrations, even with an on-axis alignment. In this proof-of-concept experiment, we demonstrated an absorption gain of 49, which improved the minimum detectable absorbance by ~20 compared to the conventional single-pass strategy at similar experimental conditions. For absorption measurements behind reflected shock waves, an effective time-resolution of ~2 μs was achieved, which enabled time-resolved observations of transient phenomena, such as the vibrational relaxation of O(2) demonstrated here. The substantial improvement in detection sensitivity, together with microsecond measurement resolution implies excellent potential for studies of transient physical and chemical processes in nonequilibrium situations, particularly via measurements of weak absorptions of trace species in dilute reactive systems.

Improved Shock Tube Measurement of the CH4 + Ar = CH3 + H + Ar Rate Constant using UV Cavity-Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy of CH3

We report an improved measurement for the rate constant of methane dissociation in argon (CH4 + Ar = CH3 + H + Ar) behind reflected shock waves. The experiment was conducted using a sub-parts per million sensitivity CH3 diagnostic recently developed in our laboratory based on ultraviolet cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy. The high sensitivity of this diagnostic allowed for measurements of quantitatively resolved CH3 time histories during the initial stage of CH4 pyrolysis, where the reaction system is clean and free from influences of secondary reactions and temperature change. This high sensitivity also allowed extension of our measurement range to much lower temperatures (<1500 K). The current-reflected shock measurements were performed at temperatures between 1487 and 1866 K and pressures near 1.7 atm, resulting in the following Arrhenius rate constant expression for the title reaction: k(1.7 atm) = 3.7 × 10(16) exp(-42 200 K/T) cm(3)/mol·s, with a 2σ uncertainty factor of 1.25. The current data are in good consensus with various theoretical and review studies, but at the low temperature end they suggest a slightly higher (up to 35%) rate constant compared to these previous results. A re-evaluation of previous and current experimental data in the falloff region was also performed, yielding updated expressions for both the low-pressure limit and the high-pressure limit rate constants and improved agreement with all existing data.

Shock Tube and Laser Absorption Study of CH2O Oxidation via Simultaneous Measurements of OH and CO

The oxidation of Ar-diluted stoichiometric CH2O-O2 mixtures was studied behind reflected shock waves over temperatures of 1332-1685 K, at pressures of about 1.5 atm and initial CH2O mole fractions of 500, 1500, and 5000 ppm. Quantitative and time-resolved concentration histories of OH and CO (at both v″ = 0 and v″ = 1) were measured by narrow-linewidth laser absorption at 306.7 and 4854 nm, respectively. A time delay was observed between the formation of v″ = 0 and v″ = 1 states of CO, suggesting that CO was kinetically generated primarily in the ground state and then collisionally relaxed toward vibrational equilibrium. The measured CO and OH time-histories were used to evaluate the performance of four detailed reaction mechanisms regarding the oxidation chemistry of CH2O. Further analyses of these time-history data have also led to improved determination for the rate constants of two key reactions, namely H + O2 = O + OH (R1) and OH + CO = CO2 + H (R2), as follows: k1 = 8.04 × 1013 exp(-7370 K/T) cm3 mol-1 s-1, k2 = 1.90 × 1012 exp(-2760 K/T) cm3 mol-1 s-1; both expressions are valid over 1428-1685 K and have 1σ uncertainties of approximately ±10%.

Kinetics of Excited Oxygen Formation in Shock-Heated O2–Ar Mixtures

The formation of electronically excited atomic oxygen was studied behind reflected shock waves using cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy. Mixtures of 1% O2-Ar were shock-heated to 5400-7500 K, and two distributed-feedback diode lasers near 777.2 and 844.6 nm were used to measure time-resolved populations of atomic oxygens 5S° and 3S° electronic states, respectively. Measurements were compared with simulated population time histories obtained using two different kinetic models that accounted for thermal nonequilibrium effects: (1) a multitemperature model and (2) a reduced collisional-radiative model. The former assumed a Boltzmann distribution of electronic energy, whereas the latter allowed for non-Boltzmann populations by treating the probed electronic states as pseudospecies and accounting for dominant electronic excitation/de-excitation processes. The effects of heavy-particle collisions were investigated and found to play a major role in the kinetics of O atom electronic excitation at the conditions studied. For the first time, rate constants (kM) for O atom electronic excitation from the ground state (3P) due to collisions with argon atoms were directly inferred using the reduced collisional-radiative model, kM(3P → 5S°) = 7.8 × 10-17T0.5 exp(-1.061 × 105K/T) ± 25% cm3 s-1 and kM(3P → 3S°) = 2.5 × 10-17T0.5 exp(-1.105 × 105K/T) ± 25% cm3 s-1.

Shock Tube Measurement of the High-Temperature Rate Constant for OH + CH3 → Products.

The reaction between hydroxyl (OH) and methyl radicals (CH3) is critical to hydrocarbon oxidation. Motivated by the sparseness of its high-temperature rate constant data and the large uncertainties in the existing literature values, the current study has remeasured the overall rate constant of the OH + CH3 reaction and extended the measurement temperature range to 1214-1933 K, using simultaneous laser absorption diagnostics for OH and CH3 radicals behind incident and reflected shock waves. tert-Butyl hydroperoxide and azomethane were used as pyrolytic sources for the OH and CH3 radicals, respectively. The current study bridged the temperature ranges of existing experimental data, and good agreement is seen between the current measurement and some previous experimental and theoretical high-temperature studies. A recommendation for the rate constant expression of the title reaction, based on the weighted average of the high-temperature data from selected studies, is given by k1 = 4.19 × 10(1)(T/K)(3.15) exp(5270 K/T) cm(3) mol(-1) s(-1) ±30%, which is valid over 1000-2500 K.

Shock Tube Measurement for the Dissociation Rate Constant of Acetaldehyde Using Sensitive CO Diagnostics

The rate constant of acetaldehyde thermal dissociation, CH3CHO = CH3 + HCO, was measured behind reflected shock waves at temperatures of 1273-1618 K and pressures near 1.6 and 0.34 atm. The current measurement utilized sensitive CO diagnostics to track the dissociation of CH3CHO via oxygen atom balance and inferred the title rate constant (k1) from CO time histories obtained in pyrolysis experiments of 1000 and 50 ppm of CH3CHO/Ar mixtures. By using dilute test mixtures, the current study successfully suppressed the interferences from secondary reactions and directly determined the title rate constant as k1(1.6 atm) = 1.1 × 10(14) exp(-36 700 K/T) s(-1) over 1273-1618 K and k1(0.34 atm) = 5.5 × 10(12) exp(-32 900 K/T) s(-1) over 1377-1571 K, with 2σ uncertainties of approximately ±30% for both expressions. Example simulations of existing reaction mechanisms updated with the current values of k1 demonstrated substantial improvements with regards to the acetaldehyde pyrolysis chemistry.