Combustion of Methane Explained

I will show you two different video on the combustion of methane. The first one is going to be a molecular dynamic simulation of an uncatalyzed reaction. So essentially, you let the methane and oxygen heat it up a bit and let it run on its own. So this is the uncatalyzed reaction. So when you turn on your heater in your home to heat up the gas heater. That's kind of what it's doing if you're able to kind of zoom in a picture of what's happening inside the flame. So this is the uncatalyzed reaction. And we essentially just kind of simulate some atoms and let them move to make the chemical reaction. And I want you to see kind of the progress that happens. So the red one here is oxygen gas. This is the methane gas. And hopefully you can see and catch that the bonding and so on is different. But this is the first picture of the uncatalyzed reaction. And what I want you to do next is compare it. to the catalytic converter that's inside your car and how the mechanism. I will show you two different videos. The first one is going to be an uncatalyzed reaction of methane with oxygen gas. And this is essentially what happens inside your wall heater. If you can kind of... look and zoom into the flame that's happening when your methane gas is reacting with the oxygen in the air. That's going to be what it looks like. So this is the uncatalyzed reaction. You let the gas run on its own. And the second video is going to be what happens inside your catalytic converter inside your car. And what I want to see in this particular video, these two videos, is the mechanism on how the molecules kind of combine with one another going from methane and oxygen into water and carbon dioxide so here's the first video and remember you're trying to catch the mechanism between the two so the red is oxygen gas and then the gray and white is methane All right, so that's the first reaction, the uncatalyzed reaction. And just kind of take a minute or so and just kind of gather your thought. How would you describe the reaction that's going on here, right? So what's happening? It's a collision model. How does the collision model work in this particular chemical reaction? So that's the first task. And I'm going to pause this video and we're going to go on to the next one about the catalytic converter. Well, it's a catalytic converter, right? So it's a catalyzed reaction. and i want you to see again the mechanism the difference between how the two chemical reaction works Thanks for watching We take it apart so you don't have to. A multitude of cars. In each one, a motor burns fuel and produces toxic gases. Nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and unburnt fuel residue. Luckily, each car also has a catalytic converter. Located under the hood, attached to the motor right before the exhaust system. Gas is produced by the motor, goes straight into the catalytic converter, and come out the other side less than a tenth of a second later. The converter gets less than a tenth of a second to recombine toxic gas molecules and produce harmless substances like water. vapor and oxygen how to understand it we've got to destroy it the stainless steel housing contains two ceramic blocks Each block is filled with thousands of micro-ducks. Their sides are coated with precious metals. Precious? Platinum and rhodium in the first block. Platinum and palladium in the second block. Metals that can cost more than $100,000. thousand dollars a pound but they're worth every penny together they have the extraordinary property of causing toxic gases to react and then recombine producing gases that are harmless to your health All that without altering themselves or rusting. Precious. The trick is to maximize the contact zone between gas and metals. That's why there are so many micro ducts, almost 400 per square inch. Their combined surface area matches that of a football field. A laboratory as big as a football field, but folded onto itself in order to remain small. The transformation of gas. from toxic to non-toxic happens most efficiently when the catalytic converter is hot. Very hot. 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit. It's the toxic gases themselves that heat up the catalytic converter. They exit the motor at temperatures as high as 900 degrees Fahrenheit. The chemical reactions inside the catalytic converter also generate heat, transforming the converter into a super-efficient furnace designed to break down and reform gas molecules. Let's take a closer look at these mysterious transformations. The nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide molecules, along with the molecules of unburnt fuel residue, enter the catalytic converter. They're swallowed up by the thousands of microdermas. As they reach the platinum and rhodium in the first block, nitrogen oxide molecules are the first to react. These metals break down the molecules by withholding one of their atoms. The freed atoms stick to each other and recombine. The result? Nitrogen oxide molecules become oxygen and nitrogen, which already make up 99% of the air that we breathe. The gas molecules now head into the second block, where the microdermabas... are coated in platinum and palladium. These precious metals withhold oxygen. The intense heat here forces the carbon monoxide molecules to combine with the oxygen. The result? Carbon dioxide, the same gas that creates bubbles in soft drinks. Now for the molecules of unburnt fuel residue. At these extreme temperatures, their encounter with the oxygen forces them to recombine. The result? More carbon dioxide. and water. All that in less than a tenth of a second. In theory, the catalytic converter can eliminate 99% of a motor's toxic gases. In reality, it's inefficient as long as it's not hot. A car has to travel about six miles before the catalytic converter reaches its ideal operating temperature. That's 6 miles spewing untreated gases. In spite of the catalytic converter's best efforts, the car remains a source of pollution. But thanks to this miniature laboratory, it emits 5 times less pollution. That's still pretty impressive. Alright, so those are the two videos about the uncatalyzed chemical reaction versus the catalyzed one. Take your time. and try to kind of think about what's different between the two method of chemical reaction.

That's kind of what it's doing if you're able to kind of zoom in a picture of what's happening inside the flame. So this is the uncatalyzed reaction. And we essentially just kind of simulate some atoms and let them move to make the chemical reaction. And I want you to see kind of the progress that happens.

So the red one here is oxygen gas. This is the methane gas. And hopefully you can see and catch that the bonding and so on is different.

But this is the first picture of the uncatalyzed reaction. And what I want you to do next is compare it. to the catalytic converter that's inside your car and how the mechanism. I will show you two different videos. The first one is going to be an uncatalyzed reaction of methane with oxygen gas.

And this is essentially what happens inside your wall heater. If you can kind of... look and zoom into the flame that's happening when your methane gas is reacting with the oxygen in the air.

That's going to be what it looks like. So this is the uncatalyzed reaction. You let the gas run on its own.

And the second video is going to be what happens inside your catalytic converter inside your car. And what I want to see in this particular video, these two videos, is the mechanism on how the molecules kind of combine with one another going from methane and oxygen into water and carbon dioxide so here's the first video and remember you're trying to catch the mechanism between the two so the red is oxygen gas and then the gray and white is methane All right, so that's the first reaction, the uncatalyzed reaction. And just kind of take a minute or so and just kind of gather your thought. How would you describe the reaction that's going on here, right?

So what's happening? It's a collision model. How does the collision model work in this particular chemical reaction? So that's the first task. And I'm going to pause this video and we're going to go on to the next one about the catalytic converter.

Well, it's a catalytic converter, right? So it's a catalyzed reaction. and i want you to see again the mechanism the difference between how the two chemical reaction works Thanks for watching We take it apart so you don't have to. A multitude of cars.

In each one, a motor burns fuel and produces toxic gases. Nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and unburnt fuel residue. Luckily, each car also has a catalytic converter.

Located under the hood, attached to the motor right before the exhaust system. Gas is produced by the motor, goes straight into the catalytic converter, and come out the other side less than a tenth of a second later. The converter gets less than a tenth of a second to recombine toxic gas molecules and produce harmless substances like water. vapor and oxygen how to understand it we've got to destroy it the stainless steel housing contains two ceramic blocks Each block is filled with thousands of micro-ducks. Their sides are coated with precious metals.

Precious? Platinum and rhodium in the first block. Platinum and palladium in the second block.

Metals that can cost more than $100,000. thousand dollars a pound but they're worth every penny together they have the extraordinary property of causing toxic gases to react and then recombine producing gases that are harmless to your health All that without altering themselves or rusting. Precious. The trick is to maximize the contact zone between gas and metals. That's why there are so many micro ducts, almost 400 per square inch.

Their combined surface area matches that of a football field. A laboratory as big as a football field, but folded onto itself in order to remain small. The transformation of gas. from toxic to non-toxic happens most efficiently when the catalytic converter is hot. Very hot.

1,300 degrees Fahrenheit. It's the toxic gases themselves that heat up the catalytic converter. They exit the motor at temperatures as high as 900 degrees Fahrenheit. The chemical reactions inside the catalytic converter also generate heat, transforming the converter into a super-efficient furnace designed to break down and reform gas molecules. Let's take a closer look at these mysterious transformations.

The nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide molecules, along with the molecules of unburnt fuel residue, enter the catalytic converter. They're swallowed up by the thousands of microdermas. As they reach the platinum and rhodium in the first block, nitrogen oxide molecules are the first to react. These metals break down the molecules by withholding one of their atoms. The freed atoms stick to each other and recombine.

The result? Nitrogen oxide molecules become oxygen and nitrogen, which already make up 99% of the air that we breathe. The gas molecules now head into the second block, where the microdermabas...

are coated in platinum and palladium. These precious metals withhold oxygen. The intense heat here forces the carbon monoxide molecules to combine with the oxygen. The result? Carbon dioxide, the same gas that creates bubbles in soft drinks.

Now for the molecules of unburnt fuel residue. At these extreme temperatures, their encounter with the oxygen forces them to recombine. The result?

More carbon dioxide. and water. All that in less than a tenth of a second.

In theory, the catalytic converter can eliminate 99% of a motor's toxic gases. In reality, it's inefficient as long as it's not hot. A car has to travel about six miles before the catalytic converter reaches its ideal operating temperature. That's 6 miles spewing untreated gases. In spite of the catalytic converter's best efforts, the car remains a source of pollution.

But thanks to this miniature laboratory, it emits 5 times less pollution. That's still pretty impressive. Alright, so those are the two videos about the uncatalyzed chemical reaction versus the catalyzed one.

Take your time. and try to kind of think about what's different between the two method of chemical reaction.

Transcript for:Combustion of Methane Explained

Transcript for:
Combustion of Methane Explained