Thermal Decomposition Process of a Polyethylene Pellet in a Hot Stagnation Flow

Abstract

A low density polyethylene specimen fixed at the stagnation plate of high temperature air jet was measured on the time histories of thermal decomposition rate and temperature, and it was verified that the convective heat flux at the surface of specimen controlled the thermal decomposition rate. Moreover, from another series of experiment using a collum shape specimen whose cud surface was always fixed at the stagnation plate and exposed to the hot jet, the temperature distribution inside the polyethylene specimen was obtained and also the thickness of melting layer was estimated from the distribution.