The Effect of Temporal Fluctuations in Temperature on Nitric Oxide Formation

Abstract

The influence of temperature fluctuations on Nitric oxide formation has been investigated by calculating NO levels with a range of prescribed temperature fluctuations about various mean temperatures. It has been found that NO levels about an order of magnitude above those predicted with zero fluctuation may arise at temperature fluctuation levels typically to be found in gas-turbine combustion chambers There is also some evidence that temperature fluctuations become of increasing importance as the mean temperature is reduced with the implication that predictions made with existing analytic models (with reaction rates calculated from mean temperatures) may seriously overestimate the reductions in NO emissions possibly by burning under fuel lean (or rich) conditions.