FACTORS IN THE COALESCENCE OF WATER IN FUEL,
Abstract
The removal of water from jet fuel is a necessity for the efficient operation of jet aircraft and the reduction of maintenance requirements. Experimental work was performed to examine the important factors and forces in the coalescence phenomenon by which water is normally removed from jet fuel in field operations. The basic tool used in this study was the Water Separometer. The experimental work was supported by theoretical calculations. The interception process, rather than diffusion or inertial-impaction, is the primary mode of water-droplet approach to a fiber when a water-in-fuel emulsion is coalesced in a fibrous bed. The experimental evidence for the importance of small fibers in the coalescer material is supported by calculations for the interception process. The attachment step does not appear to be critical in the overall coalescence process. Surface-active materials function at the fuel/water interface rather than the fuel/solid interface. The marked deterioration of performance caused by surfactants in the fuel is thought to be related to phenomena occurring at the point of droplet release at the downstream face of the coalescer. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 13, 1968
- Accession Number
- AD0667715
Entities
People
- R. N. Hazlett
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory