A KINETIC-STUDY OF THE PYROLYSIS OF METHANOL USING SHOCK-TUBE AND COMPUTER-SIMULATION TECHNIQUES

The pyrolysis of methanol in shock waves at 1800-2740 K is studied by laser schlieren densitometry and dynamic mass spectrometry. A mechanism based on literature data and the present experiments is proposed and used to interpret the results by detailed computer simulation. A set of seven rate constants to which the data are most sensitive is identified. The values of these rate constants are adjusted to fit the data, using a systematic procedure depending upon sensitivity analysis and the estimated accuracy of the literature values of the rate constants in the mechanism. For the initiation process at 1900-2700 K we find