Reactions of fuel-nitrogen compounds under conditions of inert pyrolysis

✍ Scribed by Arthur E. Axworthy; Victor H. Dayan; G.Blair Martin

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1978
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 939 KB
• Volume: 57
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0016-2361
• DOI: 10.1016/0016-2361(78)90087-x

✦ Synopsis

As part of a study of the chemical mechanisms involved in the conversion of fuel-nitrogen compounds to nitric oxide during combustion, fossil fuels and model nitrogen compounds were pyrolysed in helium in a small quartz flow reactor. Hydrogen cyanide was the major nitrogen-containing product obtained in all cases indicating that hydrogen cyanide is formed during the initial pre-flame stages of combustion and is the principal intermediate in the formation of fuel nitric oxide. At a nominal residence time of one second, 50% decomposition of pyrrole, quinoline, benzonitrile and pyridine occurs at 905,910, 922 and 954"C, respectively. The fraction of the nitrogen in pyridine that is converted to hydrogen cyanide increases from 40% at 960°C to 100% at 1100°C. Benzonitrile produces similar amounts of hydrogen cyanide (49 and 82%). The hydrogen cyanide yields from coals and residual fuel oils increase from the range of 15-25% at 950°C to 23-42% at 1100°C. It is not possible to determine from these single-stage experiments if most of the hydrogen cyanide forms in the primary pyrolysis process or in secondary reactions.