Aris Purwanto, Herman Saputro, Akhmad Faruq Alhikami, Fudhail Abdul Munir
The oxidizer is used in aviation propellants for its relatively high impulse density and non-toxic nature. At elevated temperatures, nitrous oxide (N2₂O) decomposes into approximately 33% oxygen (O2) and 67% nitrogen (N2), providing a higher oxygen content than ambient air. This decomposition enables N2O to produce higher flame temperatures than air. Previous studies have shown that N2O addition improves flame stability in methane combustion systems. This study examined the substitution of O2 with N2O in stoichiometric methane–air premixed flames, using both numerical and experimental methods. One-dimensional and two-dimensional simulations with CHEMKIN PRO revealed that replacing air with N2O increases flame temperature but reduces laminar flame speed, mainly due to lower local oxygen concentrations in the reaction zone. The simulations also showed that nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) emissions increase significantly in the post-reaction zone, while carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions decrease. Experimental results confirmed that controlled N2O addition enhances flame stability, but excessive concentrations can trigger combustion instabilities. Overall, the findings indicate that introducing up to 20% N₂O can increase flame temperature and reduce CO emissions in methane flames. © 2025, Universitas Muhammadiyah Magelang. All rights reserved.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, 60231, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering Education, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, 57161, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Islam Malang, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Perak, 31000, Malaysia
