Refined Optimization of a Uranium Oxide Reaction Mechanism Using Plasma Flow Reactor Measurements

As part of a continued effort to study formation of metal oxides in rapidly cooling atmospheric plasmas, we present a refined stochastic optimization of a uranium oxide reaction mechanism using optical emission measurements from a plasma flow reactor (PFR). This work builds on a previously presented Monte Carlo Genetic Algorithm approach by utilizing an expanded dataset from a modified PFR setup and analyzing the resulting reaction mechanism in detail. The PFR modifications allow for finer unobstructed axial measurements of atomic and molecular emission, providing a well resolved time history of oxide formation. In addition, a wider range of oxygen fugacities are explored to better constrain the sensitivity of reaction channels to oxygen conditions. The newly calibrated reaction mechanism is compared against a previously published mechanism and dominant reaction pathways are identified via standard sensitivity analysis and mechanism reduction methods.