ANALYTICAL STUDY OF MECHANISMS FOR NITRIC OXIDE FORMATION DURING COMBUSTION OF METHANE IN A JET-STIRRED COMBUSTOR

摘要

The role of chemical kinetics in the formation of nitric oxide during the combustion of methane has been examined analytically by means of a detailed chemical mechanism for the oxidation of methane, for the reaction between hydrocarbon fragments, and for the formation of nitric oxide. By comparing predicted nitric oxide levels with values reported in the liter¬ature from jet-stirred combustor experiments, it was determined that the nitric oxide levels observed in fuel-rich flames cannot be described by a mechanism in which the rate of nitric oxide formation is controlled solely by the kinetics of oxygen atom formation. A proposed mechanism for the formation of nitric oxide in methane-rich flames reproduces the observed levels. The oxidation of HCN appears to be an important factor in nitric oxide formation.