Methane flame

Castaldi, M.J. Vincitore, A.M. Senkan, S. Micro-structures of premixed hydrocarbon flames methane. Combust. Sci. Tech. 1995,107, 1-19. 

There is no satisfactory chemical way of distinguishing betn een ethane and methane, both of which burn with an almost non-luminous flame this fact however is quite unimportant at this stage of the investigation. Hydrogen also burns with a non-luminous flame and w hen the open end of a test-tube full of the gas is placed in a Bunsen flame, a mild explosion with a very characteristic report takes place. 

Vapor-Phase Mechanisms. Phosphoms flame retardants can also exert vapor-phase flame-retardant action. Trimethyl phosphate [512-56-1] C H O P, retards the velocity of a methane—oxygen flame with about the same molar efficiency as antimony trichloride (30,31). Both physical and chemical vapor-phase mechanisms have been proposed for the flame-retardant action of certain phosphoms compounds. Physical (endothermic) modes of action have been shown to be of dominant importance in the flame-retardant action of a wide range of non-phosphoms-containing volatile compounds (32). 

Catalytic methanation processes include (/) fixed or fluidized catalyst-bed reactors where temperature rise is controlled by heat exchange or by direct cooling using product gas recycle (2) through wall-cooled reactor where temperature is controlled by heat removal through the walls of catalyst-filled tubes (J) tube-wall reactors where a nickel—aluminum alloy is flame-sprayed and treated to form a Raney-nickel catalyst bonded to the reactor tube heat-exchange surface and (4) slurry or Hquid-phase (oil) methanation. 

To enable interchangeabiUty of the SNG with natural gas, on a calorific, flame, and toxicity basis, the synthetically produced gas consists of a minimum of 89 vol % methane, a maximum of 0.1% carbon monoxide, and up to 10% hydrogen. The specified minimum acceptable gross heating value is approximately 34.6 MJ/m (930 Btu/fE). 

Methane oxidations occur only by intermediate and high temperature mechanisms and have been reported not to support cool flames (104,105). However, others have reported that cool flames do occur in methane oxidation, even at temperatures >400 ° C (93,94,106,107). Since methyl radicals caimot participate in reactions 23 or 24, some other mechanism must be operative to achieve the quenching observed in methane cool flames. It has been proposed that the interaction of formaldehyde and its products with radicals decreases their concentrations and inhibits the whole oxidation process (93). 

The reported characteristics of methane oxidation at high pressures are interesting. As expected,the reaction can be conducted at lower temperatures eg, 262°C at 334 MPa (3300 atm) (100). However, the cool flame phenomenon is observed even under these conditions. At high pressures. 

Ethane. Ethane VPO occurs at lower temperatures than methane oxidation but requires higher temperatures than the higher hydrocarbons (121). This is a transition case with mixed characteristics. Low temperature VPO, cool flames, oscillations, and a NTC region do occur. At low temperatures and pressures, the main products are formaldehyde, acetaldehyde (HCHOiCH CHO ca 5) (121—123), and carbon monoxide. These products arise mainly through ethylperoxy and ethoxy radicals (see eqs. 2 and 12—16 and Fig. 1). 

Flame or Partial Combustion Processes. In the combustion or flame processes, the necessary energy is imparted to the feedstock by the partial combustion of the hydrocarbon feed (one-stage process), or by the combustion of residual gas, or any other suitable fuel, and subsequent injection of the cracking stock into the hot combustion gases (two-stage process). A detailed discussion of the kinetics for the pyrolysis of methane for the production of acetylene by partial oxidation, and some conclusions as to reaction mechanism have been given (12). 

In the heating and cracking phase, preheated hydrocarbons leaving the atomizer are intimately contacted with the steam-preheated oxygen mixture. The atomized hydrocarbon is heated and vaporized by back radiation from the flame front and the reactor walls. Some cracking to carbon, methane, and hydrocarbon radicals occurs during this brief phase. 

A flame-ionization, total hydrocarbon analyzer determines the THC, and the total carbon content is calculated as methane. Other methods include catalytic combustion to carbon dioxide, which may be deterrnined by a sensitive infrared detector of the nondispersive type. Hydrocarbons other than methane and acetylene are present only in minute quantities and generally are inert in most appHcations. 

The most widely used method of analysis for methyl chloride is gas chromatography. A capillary column medium that does a very good job in separating most chlorinated hydrocarbons is methyl siUcone or methyl (5% phenyl) siUcone. The detector of choice is a flame ionisation detector. Typical molar response factors for the chlorinated methanes are methyl chloride, 2.05 methylene chloride, 2.2 chloroform, 2.8 carbon tetrachloride, 3.1, where methane is defined as having a molar response factor of 2.00. Most two-carbon chlorinated hydrocarbons have a molar response factor of about 1.0 on the same basis. 

Many polymer films, eg, polyethylene and polyacrylonitrile, are permeable to carbon tetrachloride vapor (1). Carbon tetrachloride vapor affects the explosion limits of several gaseous mixtures, eg, air-hydrogen and air-methane. The extinctive effect that carbon tetrachloride has on a flame, mainly because of its cooling action, is derived from its high thermal capacity (2). 

Typical velocity gradient values for stoichiometric methane—air flames are at flashback about 400 and at blowoff 2000. Thus, if the mixture is... 

Historically, measurements have classified ambient hydrocarbons in two classes methane (CH4) and all other nonmethane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs). Analyzing hydrocarbons in the atmosphere involves a three-step process collection, separation, and quantification. Collection involves obtaining an aliquot of air, e.g., with an evacuated canister. The principal separation process is gas chromatography (GC), and the principal quantification technique is wdth a calibrated flame ionization detector (FID). Mass spectroscopy (MS) is used along with GC to identify individual hydrocarbon compounds. 

Formulations for one-shot polyether systems are similar to those used for flexible foams and contain polyether, isocyanate, catalyst, surfactant and water. Trichloroethyl phosphate is also often used as a flame retardant. As with polyesters, diphenylmethane di-isocyanate is usually preferred to TDI because of its lower volatility. Tertiary amines and organo-tin catalysts are used as with the flexible foams but not necessarily in combination. Silicone oil surfactants are again found to be good foam stabilisers. Volatile liquids such as trichlorofluoro-methane have been widely used as supplementary blowing agents and give products of low density and of very low thermal conductivity. 

Century organic vapour analysers are factory calibrated to measure total organic vapours according to a standard (methane). Since different organic vapours interact with the flame ionization detector (FID) to varying extents, it is vital that the instrument user be aware of the magnitude of the variation in order to obtain the most accurate data. Each user must determine relative responses for the individual instrument. 

A device based on flame ionization measures the total concentration of hydrocarbons. By using a catalyst, such as a heated platinum wire, hydrocarbons other than methane can be removed from the sample gas. With a platinum catalyst, these hydrocarbons are oxidized at a lower temperature than methane. Hence, the total concentration of hydrocarbons, methane, and hydrocarbons other than methane can be determined. 

The chemical reactions that occnr in flames transform an initial reactant mixtnre into final reaction prodncts. In the case of fnel-oxygen combns-tion, the final prodncts are principally water vapor and carbon dioxide, althongh nnmerons other prodncts snch as carbon monoxide may be formed, depending on the reactant composition and other factors. If the ratio of fnel-to-oxygen is stoichiometric, the final reaction prodncts, by definition, contain no excess fnel or oxygen. Theoretically, this means that partial oxidation prodncts snch as CO (itself a fnel) are not formed. In reality, partial oxidation prodncts snch as CO or OH are formed by high tem-peratnre reactions. For example, the molar stoichiometric reaction of methane is written ... 

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