High Temperature Decomposition Pathways and Intermediate Concentrations of Simulants using Shock Tube and Time-Resolved Laser Absorption Diagnostics
Abstract
Simulants are used in incineration studies, whose chemical structure and combustion rates would be similar to those of chemical warfare (CW) agents. Previous experimental work on these compounds were mainly limited to flow reactors (at temperatures lower than 1000K and at slow heating rates) and flame studies (as dopants), where typically, final products speciation analysis is carried out. There are major gaps in our knowledge of the high temperature decomposition pathways leading to final products and combustion chemistry of CW agents and simulants that are crucial to characterize their burning process, which will help to design better strategies to counter weapons of mass destruction (WMD). This gap can be partially filled by reasonable theoretical estimates, but benchmark experiments are needed to validate these estimations, to provide insight into high temperature chemistry which is not yet accessible by theory, and to provide highly accurate values for the most crucial reactions while accommodating the varying fuel structures of both G- and V- agents. The proposed experiments will utilize a large diameter, high-purity kinetics shock tube facility (which provides very fast heating rates) located at the University of Central Florida (UCF) along with several mid-IR laser absorption spectroscopy techniques for in-situ measurements. Shock tube provides an ideal tool to investigate high-temperature chemical kinetics. Measurements of the concentrations of intermediate species during pyrolysis and oxidation experiments with selected simulants will be carried out in the range 800-2200K at several micro-seconds time resolution. Predictive kinetic models for incineration of these compounds will be refined based on current experiments and calculations as well as recent work presented in the literature. The current study will reveal crucial knowledge related to chemical structural influence on pathways and reactions of simulants. The proposed basic research will provide greater and much needed fundamental understanding for counter-WMD operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 26, 2016
- Source ID
- HDTRA11610009
Entities
People
- Subith Vasu
Organizations
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- University of Central Florida