Reduced chemical kinetic model for CH4-air non-premixed flames including excited and charged species

Electric fields can impact small laminar flames by changing their shape and overall behavior by acting on charged species produced in combustion. However, no reduced chemical kinetic model has been developed considering both major species and minor species related to flame characterization and flame behavior in the presence of an electric field. This study presents a reduced chemical kinetic model for methane-air combustion which includes minor excited species (CH* and OH*) and charged species (H3O+, HCO+, C2H3O+, CH5O+, O2−, OH−, e−, CO3−, CHO2−, O−, CHO3−). The results employing the reduced chemistry model have been validated for a two-dimensional flame geometry by comparison with (i) detailed chemistry simulation results for species location and peak values, and (ii) experimental CH* chemiluminescence location, considering the self-repulsion of charges yet without externally applied electric field to the flame.