Oxidation of H2/CO2 mixtures and effect of hydrogen initial concentration on the combustion of CH4 and CH4/CO2 mixtures: Experiments and modeling

An experimental investigation of the oxidation of hydrogen diluted by nitrogen in presence of CO₂ was performed in a fused silica jet-stirred reactor (JSR) over the temperature range 800-1050 K, from fuel-lean to fuel-rich conditions and at atmospheric pressure. The mean residence time was kept constant in the experiments: 120 ms at 1 atm and 250 ms at 10 atm. The effect of variable initial concentrations of hydrogen on the combustion of methane and methane/carbon dioxide mixtures diluted by nitrogen was also experimentally studied. Concentration profiles for O₂, H₂, H₂O, CO, CO₂, CH₂O, CH₄, C₂H₆, C₂H₄, and C₂H₂ were measured by sonic probe sampling followed by chemical analyses (FT-IR, gas chromatography). A detailed chemical kinetic modeling of the present experiments and of the literature data (flame speed and ignition delays) was performed using a recently proposed kinetic scheme showing good agreement between the data and this modeling, and providing further validation of the kinetic model (128 species and 924 reversible reactions). Sensitivity and reaction paths analyses were used to delineate the important reactions influencing the kinetic of oxidation of the fuels in absence and in presence of additives (CO₂ and H₂). The kinetic reaction scheme proposed helps understanding the inhibiting effect of CO₂ on the oxidation of hydrogen and methane and should be useful for gas turbine modeling.     

Experimental and detailed kinetic modeling study of the high pressure oxidation of methanol sensitized by nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide

The perturbation of the combustion by NO_x is important in several practical systems (recent NO_x-reduction strategies, combustion with exhaust-gas recirculation in diesel and HCCI engines and for mild combustion). New experimental results were obtained for the oxidation of methanol in absence and in presence of NO or NO₂ in a fused silica jet-stirred reactor operating at 10 atm, over the temperature range 700-1100 K. Probe sampling followed by on-line FTIR analyses and off-line GC-TCD/FID analyses permitted to measure the concentration profiles of the reactants, stable intermediates and the final products. A detailed chemical kinetic modeling of the present experiments was performed. An overall good agreement between the present data and this modeling was obtained. The oxidation of methanol is significantly sensitized by NO₂, whereas the effect of NO is more limited. According to the proposed model, the mutual sensitization of the oxidation of methanol and NO proceeds through the NO to NO₂ conversion by HO₂. The increased production of OH resulting from the oxidation of NO by HO₂ promotes the oxidation of the fuel. A simplified reaction scheme can be proposed for the NO-seeded oxidation of methanol: NO + HO₂ ⇒ NO₂ + OH followed by OH + CH₃OH ⇒ H₂O + CH₂OH and CH₃O. The enhanced oxidation of methanol by addition of NO₂ is also due to additional OH production through: NO₂ + HO₂ ⇒ HONO + O₂, NO₂ + H ⇒ NO + OH and HONO ⇒ NO + OH followed by OH + CH₃OH ⇒ CH₂OH and CH₃O. The further reactions CH₂OH + O₂ ⇒ CH₂O + HO₂; CH₃O ⇒ CH₂O + H; CH₂O + OH ⇒ HCO; HCO + O₂ ⇒ HO₂ and H + O₂ ⇒ HO₂ complete the sequence whether NO or NO₂ is added.