Effect of thermal nonequilibrium on reactions in hydrogen combustion

The presence of shocks in scramjet internal flows introduces nonequilibrium of internal energy modes of the molecules. Here, the effect of vibrational nonequilibrium on key reactions of hydrogen–air combustion is studied. A quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) approach is used to derive reaction probability for nonequilibrium conditions using ab initio-derived potential energy surfaces. The reaction rates under nonequilibrium are studied using a two-temperature description, where the vibrational modes are assumed to be distributed according to a Boltzmann distribution at a characteristic vibrational temperature, in addition to a translational temperature describing the translational and rotational population distribution. At scramjet-relevant conditions, it is found that the nonequilibrium reaction rate depends not only on the level of vibrational excitation, but also on the reactants involved. Conventional two-temperature models for reaction rates, often derived using empirical means, were found to be inaccurate under these conditions, and modified parameters are proposed based on the QCT calculations. It is also found that models that include details of the reaction process through dissociation energy, for instance, provide a better description of nonequilibrium effects.