Fundamentals of nitric oxide formation in fossil fuel combustion. Final report, 29 September 1981-31 March 1985

Technical Report · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5180146

Houser, T; McCarville, M E; Zhuo-Ying, Gu

Since HCN is the primary volatile, nitrogen-containing intermediate formed during the combustion of fuel-nitrogen, this work has concentrated on the determination of products and extents of oxidation of HCN, primarily in the presence of fuel additives, using an atmospheric pressure flow system with both stirred- and plug-flow reactors. Additional brief studies were made using pyridine or cyanogen (neat or with CO or benzene added) as the sources of nitrogen for supplementary information. To produce significant yields of NO from the oxidation of pyridine or HCN, threshold conditions must exist in the reactor which appeared related to the presence of a flame. Non-flame conditions (low temperatures and/or concentrations) were characterized by a flow-rate dependent consumption of fuel (nitrogen was converted to primarily N/sub 2/ and N/sub 2/O but some NH/sub 4/NCO and urea were formed). Conditions which promoted NO formation were characterized by complete consumption of fuel-nitrogen at most flow rates. The transition between flame and non-flame reaction was abrupt as evidenced by a rapid increase in fuel consumption and shift in products (with N/sub 2/O/NO yields inversely related). Pyridine and benzene/HCN mixtures gave similar results while CO or acetylene added to HCN promoted NO formation at lower temperatures and concentrations. The addition of NO to CO/HCN mixtures did not increase N/sub 2/O formation significantly nor did N/sub 2/O oxidize readily to NO. The mechanistic implications of these results are discussed and the conclusion that N/sub 2/O and NO are formed from a common precursor (possibly NCO) and not sequentially from each other was reached. 14 refs., 16 tabs.

• Research Organization: Western Michigan Univ., Kalamazoo (USA). Dept. of Chemistry
• DOE Contract Number: FG22-81PC40805
• OSTI ID: 5180146
• Report Number(s): DOE/PC/40805-8; ON: DE86013612
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
014000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Combustion
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400800 -- Combustion
Pyrolysis
& High-Temperature Chemistry
ADDITIVES
AZINES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
CYANIDES
CYANOGEN
ENERGY SOURCES
FLAMES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL ADDITIVES
FUELS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROCYANIC ACID
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
KINETICS
NITRIC OXIDE
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NITROUS OXIDE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PYRIDINE
PYRIDINES
REACTION INTERMEDIATES
REACTION KINETICS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES