An experimental and kinetic modeling study of premixed nitromethane flames at low pressure

An experimental and modeling study is reported on three premixed nitromethane/oxygen/argon flames at low pressure (4.655 kPa) with equivalence ratios (ϕ) of 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0. Flame species were identified with tunable synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization. The mole fraction profiles of more than 30 species including intermediates and radicals were obtained by near-threshold burner scan with selected photon energies. With a Pt–6%Rh/Pt–30%Rh thermocouple, the flame temperature profiles were measured. A detailed kinetic mechanism with 88 species and 701 reactions was proposed and validated against experimental results of all three flames. The computed predictions showed satisfactory agreement with the experimental results. Based on a rate-of-production analysis, reaction pathway diagrams were obtained to describe the hydrocarbon oxidation process and nitrogenous species chemistry in the nitromethane flame with ϕ = 1.5.