Wide Temperature Range Kinetics of Plume Reactions
Abstract
The kinetics of reactions leading to the CO Fourth Positive vacuum ultraviolet emission is studied for incorporation in plume radiation models. A fast-flow reactor and a high-temperature pseudo-static, photochemistry reactor have been used. Experiments with the former on the O + C2H2 reaction have shown that the intensity of the CO Triplet bands decreases with increasing pressure. This is in accord with the proposed mechanism for CO formation, by collision-induced curve crossing from CO triplet states. Experiments in the pseudo-static reactor have confirmed the increase of the CO chemiluminescence intensity with pressure, as indicated by this mechanism, but show a decrease in the intensity of the emission when the C2 + O2 reaction is investigated instead. This indicates a direct CO formation in the latter reaction, which leads to more intense vuv emission and may be a more important reaction for rocket exhausts. As the first step toward obtaining the absolute light intensities and chemiluminescence efficiencies for the C2 + 02 reaction, its vuv emission is used to obtain its overall rate coefficients, k(300-976 K) = 1.8X10 TO THE MINUS 11TH POWER exp(-451 K/T) cu cm/(molecule.sec). These values are in excellent agreement with earlier experiments, where the C2 consumption rate coefficients were measured instead.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA347236
Entities
People
- Arthur Fontijn
Organizations
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute