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Methane and methanol diffusion flames in supercritical water

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7186501
; ; ;
Our interest in understanding supercritical water oxidation as a process for the destruction of hazardous wastes has led us to examine hydrothermal diffusion flames that can ignite in supercritical water-fuel-oxygen mixtures. We injected pure oxygen into water-methane and water-methanol mixtures at 275 bar, varying fuel concentrations from 1 to 50 mole% and temperatures from 380 to 510[degrees]C. The first measurements of minimum fuel concentrations required for the spontaneous ignition of diffusion flames in supercritical water are reported. The flames ignite at methane or methanol concentrations as low as 6 mole% at temperatures near 500[degrees]C. The ignition-threshold concentrations rise as temperature is decreased to 400[degrees]C. Visual and shadowgraph video records reveal an insensitivity of flame height to diminishing fuel concentration. In contrast, both luminosity and flame temperature vary strongly with fuel concentration. Flame structures are detectable long after flame luminosity is no longer visible with measured temperatures just a few hundred degrees above background temperature.
Research Organization:
Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DR00789
OSTI ID:
7186501
Report Number(s):
SAND-92-8474; ON: DE93006455
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320305 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Industrial Waste Management
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400800* -- Combustion
Pyrolysis
& High-Temperature Chemistry
ALCOHOLS
ALKANES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
CHEMICAL WASTES
DECOMPOSITION
DIFFUSION
ELEMENTS
FLAMES
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
IGNITION
MATERIALS
METHANE
METHANOL
NONMETALS
NONRADIOACTIVE WASTES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
OXYGEN
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SUPERCRITICAL STATE
TEMPERATURE RANGE
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0400-1000 K
WASTES
WATER