Flame structure and flame reaction kinetics - V. Investigation of reaction mechanism in a rich hydrogen+nitrogen+oxygen flame by solution of conservation equations

Abstract

A powerful combination of two computational methods has been used to investigate the reaction mechanism in a fuel-rich hydrogen+nitrogen+oxygen flame. The first of these involves the solution of the time-dependent heat conduction and diffusion equations by finite difference methods. It allows a preliminary assessment of reaction mechanisms and rate constants which must be used to reproduce the observed flame velocity. However, the transport fluxes are only represented approximately in this time-dependent model, so that a precise calculation of flame profiles cannot be made. The second computational method uses a Runge–Kutta procedure to calculate the steady-state flame profiles, and is an extension of the methods discussed by Dixon-Lewis (1968). It incorporates detailed transport property calculations, and thus allows computation of detailed flame profiles for comparison with experiment. Application of the methods to the rich hydrogen+nitrogen+oxygen flame and subsequent comparison with experiment has established the participation of hydroperoxyl in the flame mechanism, and has shown the principal reactions in the flame to be: OH + H2= H2O + H, (i) H + O2=OH + O, (ii) O + H2=OH + H, (iii) H + O2+ M = HO2+ M, (iv) H + HO2= OH + OH, (vii) H + HO2= H2+ O2, (xii) H+ H + M = H2+ M. (xv) It was found that the interplay between these reactions is such that it is impossible to use the atmospheric pressure flame for an independent, precise determination of the hydrogenoxygen chain branching-rate constantk2. Another property of the mechanism is that the hydrogen atom concentration profile in the flame is not very dependent on the precise rate constants employed, so that the profile itself can be computed probably to better than ±10%. The reaction zone of the very rich flame commences at about 550 K, the maximum overall reaction rate is at about 900 K, and the maximum hydrogen atom concentration is at 1030 to 1040 K. The rate constant ratiok7/k12is found to lie in the range 5±1, assumed independent of temperature over the reaction zone. Assuming equal efficiencies of all the molecules in the flame as third bodies in the hydrogen atom recombination, the rate constantk15is estimated to lie in the range 4.5±1.5 x 1015cm6mol-2s-1.