The structure of inhibited counterflowing nonpremixed flames

Journal Article · Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1994 · Combustion and Flame; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-2180(94)90201-1· OSTI ID:7084294

Yang, M H; Hamins, A; Puri, I K ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Illinois, Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering National Inst. of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD (United States). Building and Fire Research Lab.

Recent international agreements call for a halt to the manufacture of CF[sub 3]Br, a commonly used fire suppressant, due to its high ozone depletion potential. Ideally, the search for replacement compounds should be guided by fundamental studies of the detailed inhibition mechanisms of halogenated agents in flames. Numerical simulations of the structure of laminar counterflow methane-air nonpremixed flames with chemical (chloromethane) and inert (nitrogen) agents added to the oxidizer stream were performed using a previously developed computer code. The computations were substantiated by measurements of the temperature and velocity fields. The simulated flame structure demonstrated that the addition of chloromethane to the oxidizer side of the nonpremixed flame leads to a broadened reaction zone, increased flame temperatures, decreased concentrations of key flame radicals, and decreased rates of important exothermic chemical reactions. The addition of nitrogen to the oxidizer side of the flame had a very different impact on the flame structure, leading to decreased flame temperatures and decreased concentrations of key flame radicals. The reaction pathways associated with inhibition by chloromethane were identified through an analysis of the calculated flame structure. Simulated flames inhibited by molecular chlorine and hydrochloric acid are also discussed.

• OSTI ID: 7084294
• Journal Information: Combustion and Flame; (United States), Vol. 98:1-2; ISSN 0010-2180
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
FLAMES
MORPHOLOGY
METHANE
COMBUSTION KINETICS
METHYL CHLORIDE
INHIBITION
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
MATERIAL SUBSTITUTION
REAGENTS
ALKANES
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HYDROCARBONS
KINETICS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
REACTION KINETICS
400800* - Combustion
Pyrolysis
& High-Temperature Chemistry