Mutual Sensitization of the oxidation of nitric oxide and a natural gas blend in a JSR at elevated pressure: Experimental and detailed kinetic modeling study

The mutual sensitization of the oxidation of NO and a natural gas blend (methane-ethane 10: 1) was studied experimentally in a fused silica jet-stirred reactor operating at 10 atm, over the temperature range 800-1160 K, from fuel-lean to fuel-rich conditions. Sonic quartz probe sampling followed by on-line FTIR analyses and off-line GC-TCD/FID analyses were used to measure the concentration profiles of the reactants, the stable intermediates, and the final products. A detailed chemical kinetic modeling of the present experiments was performed yielding an overall good agreement between the present data and this modeling. According to the proposed kinetic scheme, the mutual sensitization of the oxidation of this natural gas blend and NO proceeds through the NO to NO2 conversion by HO2, CH3O2, and C2H5O2. The detailed kinetic modeling showed that the conversion of NO to NO2 by CH3O2 and C2H5O2 is more important at low temperatures (ca. 820 K) than at higher temperatures where the reaction of NO with HO2 controls the NO to NO2 conversion. The production of OH resulting from the oxidation of NO by HO2, and the production of alkoxy radicals via RO2 + NO reactions promotes the oxidation of the fuel. A simplified reaction scheme was delineated: NO + HO2 -> NO2 + OH followed by OH + CH4 -> CH3 + H2O and OH + C2H6 -> C2H5 + H2O. At low-temperature, the reaction also proceeds via CH3 + O-2 (+ M) -> CH3O2 (+ M); CH3O2 + NO -> CH3O + NO2 and C2H5 + O-2 -> C2H5O2; C2H5O2 + NO -> C2H5O + NO2. At higher temperature, methoxy radicals are produced via the following mechanism: CH3 + NO2 -> CH3O + NO. The further reactions CH3O -> CH2O + H; CH2O + OH -> HCO + H2O; HCO + O-2 -> HO2 + CO; and H + O-2 + M -> HO2 + M complete the sequence. The proposed model indicates that the well-recognized difference of reactivity between methane and a natural gas blend is significantly reduced by addition of NO. The kinetic analyses indicate that in the NO-seeded conditions, the main production of OH proceeds via the same route, NO + HO2 -> NO2 + OH. Therefore, a significant reduction of the impact of the fuel composition on the kinetics of oxidation occurs.