AN INVESTIGATION OF THE METHANOL DECOMPOSITION BEHIND INCIDENT SHOCK-WAVES

The pyrolysis of methanol was investigated behind incident shock waves at temperatures and densities between 1400 and 2200 K and 1-10(-6) and 5-10(-6) mol/cm3, respectively. Narrow band-width laser absorption for OH radicals and ARAS technique for H atoms was used to determine the decomposition channels. For the experimental conditions described above the direct OH-formation is found to be the main channel of about 80% of the decomposition rate. The channel leading to H and CH2OH is found to be less than 5%. There remains the possibility of channels leading from methanol to 1CH2 + H2O or to CH2O + H2.