Peters four-step chemistry is a systematically reduced mechanism for

methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Ea ...

combustion Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combus ...

, named after Norbert Peters, who derived it in 1985. The mechanism reads as :

\begin
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& \text  && \ce \\ 
& \text && \ce \\
& \text  && \ce
\end

The mechanism predicted four different regimes where each reaction takes place. The third reaction, known as radical consumption layer, where most of the heat is released, and the first reaction, also known as fuel consumption layer, occur in a narrow region at the flame. The fourth reaction is the

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic ...

oxidation Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a ...

layer, whose thickness is much larger than the former two layers. Finally, the

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...

oxidation layer is the largest of them all, corresponding to the second reaction, and oxidizes very slowly.

Peters-Williams three-step chemistry

A three-step mechanism was derived in 1987 by Peters and

Forman A. Williams Forman Arthur Williams (born January 12, 1934) is an American academic in the field of combustion and aerospace engineering who is Emeritus Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California San Diego. Education Wil ...

by assuming steady-state approximation for the hydrogen radical. Then, :

\begin
& \text   && \ce \\
& \text  && \ce \\
& \text && \ce 
\end

References

{{Reflist, 30em Chemical kinetics Combustion Reaction mechanisms Chemical reactions Methane

Peters-Williams three-step chemistry

See also

References