Rapid Determination of PAH Species in Soot Samples from Ethylene/Air Flames

Abstract
Soot formation and deposition during any combustion process is very undesirable and can cause both mechanical and environmental problems. We have investigated the formation of soot particles in rich ethylene/air flames (φ = 2.76/φ = 2.52) using a McKenna premixed, water-cooled, flat flame burner. The soot collected from both cooled and uncooled metal plates and from the flame itself has been analysed via pyroprobe gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS). The pyroprobe GC and MS methods rapidly provide information about the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) associated with the soot since the samples are analysed directly with no prior extraction and clean up involving solvents. The analytical results provide a close representation of the original soot sample as contamination and losses are minimal.

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