A laser-induced fluorescence and coherent anti-stokes Raman scattering study of NO formation in preheated, laminar, rich premixed, methane/air flames
✍ Scribed by A. Sepman; A.V. Mokhov; H.B. Levinsky
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 2002
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 117 KB
- Volume
- 29
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1540-7489
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✦ Synopsis
Measurements of temperature and NO mole fraction are reported in flat, laminar, stoichiometric and fuel-rich premixed methane/air flames subjected to varying degrees of preheating, up to 400 K. The flames are stabilized above a perforated ceramic tile burner. By varying the exit velocity of the preheated mixture, the flame temperature could be varied over a wide range. The temperature and NO mole fraction were measured by coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering and laser-induced fluorescence, respectively. At ס 1, plotting the measured NO mole fraction as a function of flame temperature shows the exponential growth characteristic for the Zeldovich mechanism. At ס 1.3, the plot of NO versus flame temperature shows a region of more than 400 K in which the NO mole fraction grows only by a factor of 2, reflecting the behavior of the Fenimore mechanism. At temperatures above ϳ2250 K, the NO formation initiated by O ם N 2 becomes important, and the mole fraction begins to rise more steeply. At ס 1.5, the NO mole fraction is less than 10 ppm between 1750 and 1950 K, but increases by a factor of 9 within the next 200 K. Calculations using GRI-Mech 3.0 capture the essence of this behavior well, but show quantitative shortcomings for the fuel-rich flames. Comparison with the calculated equilibrium mole fractions as a function of temperature shows the observed NO mole fractions under fuel-rich conditions to be generally in excess of their equilibrium values. The experimental profiles and the GRI-Mech calculations indicate that relaxation to equilibrium is very slow, even at high temperatures. The results at ס 1.5 suggest that preheated fuel-rich combustion may be fruitful for practical use.