AN INVESTIGATION OF THE PERFORMANCE OF VARIOUS MIXTURES OF HYDROGEN AND METHANE.

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of various mixtures of hydrogen and methane as a fuel with oxygen as an oxidizer. A computer program was used to provide the theoretical results at a chamber pressure of 60 psia and mixture ratios from 1.5 to 5.0. The fraction of methane in the fuel was varied from 0 to 1.0. Experimental results were obtained by using a small reverse flow rocket engine and three separate propellant feed systems with a mixing chamber to combine the hydrogen and methane prior to the gases entering the fuel manifold of the rocket. A non-linear degradation of characteristic exhaust velocity was found as the fraction of methane in the fuel was increased. The degradation with all methane as the fuel was 77% of the pure hydrogen-oxygen performance. Experimentally, the combustion efficiency was found to decrease with an increasing percentage of methane in the fuel. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1966
Accession Number
AD0632387

Entities

People

  • Clyde W. Mclaughlin

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combustion
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Degradation
  • Efficiency
  • Engines
  • Flow
  • Hydrogen
  • Propellants
  • Rocket Engines
  • Rockets
  • Secondary Flow

Readers

  • Electrochemical Engineering/ Fuel Cell Technologies
  • Rocket Propulsion.