On the effect of a small acetone impurity on the thermal self-decomposition of acetylene

In this article, we experimentally studied the effect of acetone impurities on the induction time and soot yield during the self-decomposition of acetylene behind shock waves. The results of the experiments showed that variation of the acetone impurity in the range $0.5$–$3.0\%$, characteristic of technical acetylene, does not have a significant effect on the pyrolysis kinetics and soot yield, while the addition of acetone to acetylene in a ratio $1 : 3$ increases it only slightly. At the same time, the results of modeling using modern kinetic mechanisms predict in the presence of acetone additives a significant acceleration of pyrolysis and increase in the yield of polyaromatic compounds and soot particles in acetylene. This result indicates the need for further improvement of kinetic schemes for a successful description of the kinetics of self-decomposition of acetylene and soot formation. The results should be taken into account when developing promising energy cycles based on the energy of acetylene self-decomposition, as well as when analyzing the risks of spontaneous explosions in technological processes associated with its use.