2022 Annual Meeting
Utilizing a Permeation System with an Oxidation Flow Reactor
In the overall experiment of an oxidation flow reactor, it is necessary to deliver trace amounts of silicon oxides, commonly found in household products, to the reactor in order to see the size, concentration and mass of the particles when reacted with atmospheric conditions. The initial problem that was run into was the method of delivery that would be used for the overall experiment. With that in mind a permeation system was designed utilizing a SRI 310C gas chromatograph, swagelocks and ¼â teflon tubing. The system was then hooked up to the overall reactor and was tested three times, twice utilizing Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane and once with Limonene, these chemicals were allowed to absorb UV rays and create particles. The results determined that the system was delivering particles but at a declining rate that couldnât be controlled or kept consistent. It was theorized that this increased amount of particles at the beginning could be because the tubing acted as a sponge and the longer the experiment went on the drier the sponge became. It was decided after this experiment to utilize an injection system to introduce the chemicals into the reactor, this is due to the fact that there is more control that can be fed to the reactor by altering the volumetric flow rate coming out of the injector. It was also theorized that the system could be improved by pressurizing the chamber with the chemical, increasing the surface area of the tubing where the chemicals will permeate or increase the temperature of the system. This would allow the rate of diffusion into the tubing to increase thus changing the tubing from being a sponge to a releaser.