Experimental study and kinetic modeling of benzene oxidation in one-dimensional laminar premixed low-pressure flames

One-dimensional laminar premixed benzene-oxygen-argon flames with equivalence ratios of 2, 1, and 0.7, stabilized at low pressure (45 mbar) on a flat flame burner are studied. Gas sampling is performed by a conical quartz nozzle, at different positions in the flames. Identification and monitoring of chemical species is performed by gas chromatography. These measurements should complete experimental data on rich and sooting benzene flames available in the literature and will be of particular help for further improvements of benzene oxidation mechanisms. A comparison of experimental results with data simulated with the use of two recent kinetic models highlights their inability to predict stoichiometric and lean benzene combustion.