Ignition and Oxidation of Dilute Silane-Oxidizer Mixtures Behind Reflected Shock Waves

High-temperature experiments were performed behind reflected shock waves using SiH4, SiH4/O2, H2/O2, SiH4/H2/O2, CH4/O2, and SiH4/CH4/O2mixtures highly diluted in argon. Reflected-shock temperatures ranged from 1050-2250 K at a pressure near 1 atm. Reaction progress was monitored by observing the time histories of several species, including OH*SiH4, SiH2, and CH*using emission and laser absorption techniques. The oxidation and ignition data are reported in the form of species concentration profiles and plots of characteristic times as a function of temperature. The species time histories exhibit a dual oxidation behavior for most of the fuel/O2/SiH4 experiments, indicating the silane reacts first followed by reaction of the fuel with the remaining oxygen. As expected, the presence of silane in the fuel/O2mixtures markedly reduced the ignition delay time, usually by a factor of two or more even at molar SiH4 concentrations as low as 1% of the fuel concentration. The database presented herein can be used to validate chemical kinetics models of hightemperature silane oxidation for propulsion and materials processing applications. 2002 by The Aerospace Corporation.

Ignition and Oxidation of Dilute Silane-Oxidizer Mixtures Behind Reflected Shock Waves Conference Paper