Thermokinetic models for simultaneous reactions: a comparative study

Two dynamical thermokinetic systems for simultaneous reaction models of pol ymer decomposition are compared. In the independent-parallel model, the com mon reactant is divided explicitly between the reactions, and in the compet itive model the entire reactant mass is available to both reactions. Elemen tary bifurcation analyses show that the two models give quite different pre dictions of the thermal behaviour of simultaneous reaction systems. The pro perties of derivative thermogravimetric curves for competitive and independ ent thermokinetic models are discussed, with reference to experimental data for the thermal decomposition of cellulose.