Experimental and Kinetic Simulation Study of the High-Temperature Pyrolysis of 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene and n-Propylbenzene

This paper reports a comparative study on the high temperature pyrolysis characteristics of three C9H12 isomers, including n-propylbenzene (PBZ), 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (T135MBZ), and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene (T124MBZ), via single-pulse shock tube (SPST) experiments and kinetic simulations. The SPST experiments were conducted in the temperature range of 1100–1700 K, at pressures of 10 bar and 15 bar, with a fixed fuel concentration of 200 ppm. The reaction time was approximately 1.8 ms for all of the experiments. The distributions of the pyrolysis products were quantitatively analyzed as functions of pressure and temperature. A detailed kinetic mechanism was used to simulate the experimental results, and it is demonstrated that the mechanism can capture the pyrolysis characteristics reasonably well. Both experimental and simulation results reveal that PBZ exhibits higher fuel reactivity than T124MBZ and T135MBZ under the studied conditions. Pyrolysis of all three C9H12 isomers generates key soot precursors, including acetylene and benzene. Sensitivity and rate-of-production (ROP) analyses indicate similar primary pyrolysis pathways. The benzyl radical is first formed through the dehydrogenation reaction and then it undergoes a series of decomposition reactions leading to the detected small hydrocarbon species. This study not only provides an in-depth understanding of the high temperature pyrolysis characteristics of the three C9H12 isomers, but also provides essential validation data for the development and optimization of chemical kinetic mechanisms for alkyl aromatic hydrocarbons.