Numerical Study of Laminar Flame Propagation in CH4–N2O–N2 at Moderate Pressures and Temperatures.

The laminar burning velocities of a stoichiometric CH4–N2O mixture diluted with N2 [30–60% (by volume)] at various initial pressures (1–10 bar) and various initial temperatures (273.15–423 K) are obtained by numerical modelling of their premixed adiabatic flames. The modelling is performed with the Cosilab package using the GRI-Mech 3.0 mechanism based on 53 chemical species and 325 elementary reactions. The calculated laminar burning velocities are compared with available literature data. The influence of the initial conditions (pressure, temperature, and N2 concentration) of CH4–N2O–N2 mixtures on the laminar burning velocities, maximum flame temperature, heat release rate, and peak concentrations of the main reaction intermediates is investigated and discussed. Using the correlations of the laminar burning velocities with the initial pressure and the average flame temperature, the overall activation parameters of CH4–N2O oxidation are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]