A Simple Direct Method to Obtain Kinetic Parameters for Polymer Thermal Decomposition

Abstract

In a fire, the polymer combustion occurs when gaseous fuels react with oxygen. The heating of a material could force the release of gaseous fuels during thermal decomposition and pyrolysis. The rate of pyrolysis to define the gaseous fuels is usually interpreted by means of the Arrhenius expression and a reaction model expression, which are characterized by an activation energy, a pre-exponential factor, and a reaction order value. Many methods are available for determining kinetic parameters from thermogravimetric experimental data. However, the most challenging issue is achieving an adequate balance between accuracy and simplicity. This work proposes a direct method for determining the kinetic parameters with only a thermogravimetric experiment at a single heating rate. The method was validated with six polymers, and the results were compared with those from similar procedures, such as the Lyon method and generalized direct method. The results achieved using the simpler approach of the proposed method show a high level of accuracy.

Keywords

• thermal decomposition
• fire chemistry
• activation energy
• pre-exponential factor
• reaction order