Hydrocarbon Fuel Thermal Performance Modeling based on Systematic Measurement and Comprehensive Chromatographic Analysis
Abstract
In a typical hydrocarbon-fueled liquid rocket engine, enthalpy is removed from the combustion chamber by a regenerative cooling system comprising a series of passages through which fuel flows at high pressure and velocity, thereby maintaining the thrust chamber surface at acceptably low temperature. Ensuring reliable and predictable fuel thermal performance and material compatibility in cooling passages is crucial, particularly as engine operating conditions and lifecycle requirements extend beyond the domestic experience base. In addition to the extreme thermal-material environments accompanying advanced propulsion cooling systems and the multifaceted physicochemical processes of fuel degradation and surface fouling, clear understanding of fuel thermal behavior is inhibited by chemical complexity and compositional variability, which can occur as a result of fuel production method, refining conditions, treatment processes, and blending.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 31, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1016572
Entities
People
- Benjamin Hill-lam
- Matthew Billingsley
- Nicholas Keim
- Robert E. Synovec
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory