Inhibition of Spontaneous Decomposition of Acetylene by Hydrocarbon and Hydrogen

Abstract

An experimental study is made of the process of inhibition of exothermal spontaneous decomposition of acetylene by diluting it with a household gas (propane/butane) and hydrogen, which serve as fuel themselves. A mixture of acetylene with inhibitor, located in a cylindrical shock tube, is heated by a reflected shock wave. The shock waves are provided by detonation waves that are initiated in a stoichiometric acetylene-oxygen mixture. The detonation waves change to shock waves in the acetylene-inhibitor mixture. Minimal limits of bulk concentration of inhibitors are obtained, at which no spontaneous decomposition of acetylene occurs.