Effect of operating conditions on NO reduction by acetylene–ethanol mixtures

An experimental and theoretical study of the influence of different operating conditions on NO reduction by acetylene–ethanol mixtures has been carried out. The present investigation includes the evaluation of the impact of adding different amounts of ethanol for NO reduction by an acetylene–ethanol mixture, and the evaluation of the capacity of acetylene–ethanol mixtures to reduce different amounts of NO. The experiments were conducted in a quartz flow reactor at atmospheric pressure in the 775–1375 K temperature range operating under different oxygen concentrations, from fuel-rich to fuel-lean conditions, considering the influence of these operating variables. The experimental results have been simulated and interpreted in terms of a literature detailed gas-phase kinetic mechanism. The present results show that ethanol addition to acetylene shifts the onset for NO consumption to higher temperatures; however, the maximum NO reduction levels reached by pure acetylene oxidation are not significantly modified by its addition. The initial concentrations of NO and oxygen are important parameters affecting NO reduction by acetylene–ethanol mixtures oxidation, since they are closely coupled to the fate of hydrocarbon radicals responsible of NO consumption.