An Analytical Examination of the Partial Oxidation of Rich Mixtures of Methane and Oxygen

The uncatalyzed partial oxidation of rich mixtures of methane and oxygen is examined analytically, primarily with the view of hydrogen and/or synthesis gas (hydrogen plus carbon monoxide) production while employing a detailed chemical kinetic scheme of 108 simultaneous reactions and 28 species. In this paper the role of various operating conditions in establishing the yield of hydrogen and other products, the corresponding ignition delay periods and reaction rates is examined over a wide range of temperature, equivalence ratio and pressure. Correlations in terms of simple overall Arrhenius expressions are also provided.