External standard calibration method for high-repetition-rate shock tube kinetic studies with synchrotron-based time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Abstract

The signal levels observed from mass spectrometers coupled by molecular beam sampling to shock tubes are impacted by dynamic pressures in the spectrometer due to rapid pressure changes in the shock tube. Accounting for the impact of the pressure changes is essential if absolute concentrations of species are to be measured. Obtaining such a correction for spectrometers operated with vacuum ultra violet photoionization has been challenging. We present here a new external calibration method which uses VUV-photoionization of CO₂ to develop time-dependent corrections to species concentration/time profiles from which kinetic data can be extracted. The experiments were performed with the ICARE–HRRST (high repetition rate shock tube) at the DESIRS beamline of synchrotron SOLEIL. The calibration experiments were performed at temperatures and pressures behind reflected shock waves of 1376 ± 12 K and 6.6 ± 0.1 bar, respectively. Pyrolytic experiments with two aromatic species, toluene (T₅ = 1362 ± 22 K, P₅ = 6.6 ± 0.2 bar) and ethylbenzene (T₅ = 1327 ± 18 K, P₅ = 6.7 ± 0.2 bar), are analyzed to test the method. Time dependent concentrations for molecular and radical species were corrected with the new method. The resulting signals were compared with chemical kinetic simulations using a recent mechanism for pyrolytic formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Excellent agreement was obtained between the experimental data and simulations, without adjustment of the model, demonstrating the validity of the external calibration method.