- Author
-
Zinn, B. T.
|
Browner, R. F.
|
Powell, E. A.
|
Joseph, K. T.
|
Pasternak, M.
|
Gardner, R. O.
|
Ndubizu, C.
- Title
- Investigations of Smoke Formation by Polymeric Materials: Smoke Reduction Methods and Chemical Characterization of Particulates. Final Report. October 1, 1978-September 30, 1979.
- Coporate
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
- Sponsor
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Contract
- NBS-GRANT-G8-9003
- Keywords
-
diffusion flames
|
smoke
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chemical analysis
|
chemical properties
|
physical properties
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alkaline earth metals
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thermal degradation
- Abstract
- Smoke reduction methods were investigated by determining the effects of additives upon smoke formation in polymeric diffusion flames. This work involved the development of a Smoke Generation and Measurement Apparatus (SGMA) capable of producing a stable and reproducible polymer diffusion flame and which allows the systematic injection (seeding) of additives into the polymer thermal degradation products upstream of the flame front. Salts of alkali and alkaline earth metals were introduced by seeding, while other additives such as ferrocene, ferric acetylacetonate, and alumina trihydrate were mixed in with the polymer. Soot formation was determined by collecting and weighing soot samples and by measuring the optical density. Results with polyethylene indicate that the addition of alumina trihydrate yields a considerable decrease in the total amount of smoke generated; ferric acetylacetonate reduces soot formation only at low heating rates; while ferrocene increases smoke formation at all heating rates. The optical density data showed that the samples containing these three additives tend to start producing smoke earlier than the pure sample.