PAH and fullerene formation from low pressure combustion of aromatic hydrocarbon fuel

A sooting flame was established in a reduced-pressure combustion chamber using the vitiated coflow burner with a premixed methane flame for the surrounding flame and a diffusion or premixed toluene flame for the center flame. Collected soot samples were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography to determine the fullerene content of soot and the species of PAHs. The results showed that the fullerene content of soot changed depending on the combustion conditions such as the chamber pressure, the center nozzle length and the equivalence ratio of the surrounding flame and the center flame. The species of PAHs also changed depending on the combustion condition. When the fullerene content of soot was relatively high, the fractions of Acenaphthylene, Fluorene, Phenanthrene, Fluoranthene and Pyrene were relatively high. The fact suggests that these PAH species have some relation to fullerene formation in flames.