A novel injector for low temperature flow kinetic studies

A new enclosed injector system for low temperature kinetic studies is described. This system offers a number of advantages over more conventional designs of moveable inlet injectors. The enclosed injector prevents the introduction of contaminants into the flow reactor. In conventional designs, ambient contaminants adsorbed onto the outside of the injector could be transported into the flow reactor. The enclosed injector exposes the reactant gas to the same length of inlet tubing at a uniform temperature regardless of the injector position. In addition, the enclosed injector minimizes temperature gradients in the flow reactor caused by heat transfer along the injector. This is a particular problem when the flow reactor is operated near atmospheric pressure at reduced temperatures. Finally, this design is significantly more compact than conventional injector designs. This system has been successfully employed in studies of the heterogeneous reaction of N2O5 with sulfuric acid aerosols over the temperature range 225–293 K.