High temperature kinetic study of the reactions H + O2 = OH + O and O + H2 = OH + H in H2/O2 system by shock tube-laser absorption spectroscopy

The reactions: (1) H + O2 = OH + O; and (2) O + H2 = OH + H are the most important elementary reactions in gas phase combustion. They are the main chain-branching reaction in the oxidation of H2 and hydrocarbon fuels. In this study, rate coefficients of the reactions and have been measured over a wide range of composition, pressure, density and temperature behind the reflected shock waves. The experiments were performed using the shock tube - laser absorption spectroscopic technique to monitor OH radicals formed in the shock-heated H2/O2/Ar mixtures. The OH radicals were detected using the P(1)(5) line of (0,0) band of the A(exp 2) Sigma(+) from X(exp 2) Pi transition of OH at 310.023 nm (air). The data were analyzed with the aid of computer modeling. In the experiments great care was exercised to obtain high time resolution, linearity and signal-to-noise. The results are well represented by the Arrhenius expressions. The rate coefficient expression for reaction (1) obtained in this study is k(1) = (7.13 +/- 0.31) x 10(exp 13) exp(-6957+/- 30 K/T) cu cm/mol/s (1050 K less than or equal to T less than or equal to 2500 K) and a consensus expression for k(1) from a critical review of the most recent evaluations of k(1) (including our own) is k(1) = 7.82 x 10(exp 13) exp(-7105 K/T) cu cm/mol/s (960 K less than or equal to T less than or equal to 5300 K). The rate coefficient expression of k(2) is given by k(2) = (1.88 +/- 0.07) x 10(exp 14) exp(-6897 +/- 53 K/T) cu cm/mol/s (1424 K less than or equal to T less than or equal to 2427 K). For k(1), the temperature dependent A-factor and the correlation between the values of k(1) and the inverse reactant densities were not found. In the temperature range of this study, non-Arrhenius expression of k(2) which shows the upward curvature was not supported.