Flammability of CS₂ and other reduced sulfur species

This contribution investigates the low ignition temperature of carbon disulfide (CS₂) with tubular flow reactor experiments. It explains the extreme flammability of CS₂ with kinetic modelling entailing elementary reactions. The experiments are performed under dry conditions for an oxygen-fuel equivalence ratio of 0.7, 1.0 and 1.2 and for a temperature range of 700–1200 K. Compared with moist oxidation, the reaction forms CO as a final product, as we detected no CO₂ in the exhaust gases. A sensitivity analysis confirmed a significant influence of the CS₂/O₂ and S/O₂ sub-mechanisms on the oxidation process. Subsequent theoretical calculations analysed the nature of the intersystem crossing responsible for lowering the activation energy for key elementary reactions and its influence on the low ignition temperature of CS₂ under dry condition. Our experimental and modelling results also account for the extreme flammability of other reduced sulfur species.