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The effects of ferrocene concentration on soot in an ethylene laminar diffusion flame
Citation:
Swanson, N. B., T. YELVERTON, W. P. LINAK, AND W. L. Roberts. The effects of ferrocene concentration on soot in an ethylene laminar diffusion flame. In Proceedings, 7th U.S. National Technical Meeting of the Combustion Institute, Atlanta, GA, March 20 - 23, 2011. Combustion Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 6 p, (2011).
Impact/Purpose:
symposium paper
Description:
Metal fuel-borne catalysts are of interest in the combustion and environmental communities due principally to their ability to reduce carbon particulate mass emissions. However, a negative aspect to their use is the potential emission of the metals themselves. Post-combustion, these metals are usually in the form of ultrafine and nanoparticles Particles emitted in this size range exhibit high degrees of dispersion, long atmospheric residence times, and an ability to be deeply inhaled into the lungs. In this study, ferrocene [Fe(C5H5)2] was doped in a laminar jet diffusion flame at varying concentrations to understand the mechanisms of particulate growth and chemistry. Ferrocene was used to effectively reduce the emissions of carbonaceous particulate in the accumulation mode of a sooting ethylene flame to the point of extinction. The reduction of carbonaceous particulate matter was quantified using gravimetric analyses and an engine exhaust particle sizer (EEPS). At the point of carbonaceous particulate extinction, the flame is nonsmoking and iron nanoparticles are emitted. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, hydrocarbons and organic acids were extracted and quantified. Analysis of these organic compounds which had condensed on the surfaces of flame-generated particulate matter provide insights describing the properties of soot with varying degrees of ferrocene as well as the effectiveness of ferrocene to reduce organic emissions.