Experimental and kinetic modeling study of PAH formation in coflow diffusion n-butanol doped methane flames

In this work, experimental and kinetic modeling investigations were combined to study the PAH formation in the coflow diffusion methane flames doped with 1.95% and 3.90% of n-butanol, with the help of synchrotron VUV photoionization mass spectrometry method and laminarSMOKE code. The modeling result reveals that benzene precursors, especially C3 radicals, increase significantly while increasing inlet mole fraction of n-butanol. This enhances the formation of phenyl and benzyl radicals which are important precursors of PAHs. Reactions of benzyl, phenyl radicals and benzene with C2-C3 species are major formation pathways for indene and naphthalene.