REACTIONS VIA CHEMICALLY ACTIVATED METHANOL AND THEIR MEANING FOR THEMODELING OF CH4-AIR FLAMES AND CH3OH-AIR FLAMES

The reaction CH3+OH plays an important role for the modelling of lamin ar burning velocities of CH4-air flames. Experimental data on its rate coefficient are scarce and the importance of this reaction is shown b y rate coefficients obtained recently from theoretical models. For CH3 OH-air flames the reaction CH2OH+H--> products is likewise important a nd to a lesser extent so is the reaction CH3O+H. At higher temperature s no experimental data exist on these reactions and it has been tried in recent modelling studies to calculate rate coefficients for CH3O+H from those of CH3+OH by using equilibrium considerations. This approac h if applied to a multiple channel reaction is generally dangerous, an d indeed in this particular case by confusing the CH3O and CH2OH exit channels a rather misleading rate expression was obtained for the reac tion CH3O+H-->CH3+OH.