High-Pressure Combustion of Hydrocarbons and Methyl Esters With Spherical Droplet Flames
Abstract
This project concerns a study of the combustion of n-hexadecane (representative of a straight-chain hydrocarbon), methyl decanoate (MD, representative of an oxygenated fuel), and their mixtures at elevated pressures in an environment that promotes spherical symmetry during combustion. The spherical droplet flame adopted in this study is to provide important combustion properties for our further understanding of combustion physics at pressures representative of practical combustion engines such as diesel engines. The broad objectives of the proposed work are to (1) Develop an experimental database using the High-Pressure Combustion Apparatus (HPCA) at PVAMU for liquid fuel combustion to reveal the fundamental combustion physics relevant to that in diesel engines and to serve as valuable experimental inputs for developing new computational and theoretical methods; and (2) Implement an educational plan that will engage K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students in outreach and research opportunities to enhance underrepresented studentsÕ interests in STEM and improve their educational experience and thus to better prepare them for STEM careers important to the defense mission. The innovation of this project resides in achieving the spherically symmetric droplet combustion configuration by using small fuel droplets (in order of several hundreds of microns) to provide information to characterize the combustion performance of liquid fuels under high pressure. This proposed method is a highly cost-effective approach since expensive facilities in a drop tower or onboard the International Space Station (ISS) are no longer needed. The relevance of the project stems from the fact that in combustion engines such as diesel engines, petroleum-based liquid fuel droplets often burn in an ambiance at pressures well above the critical state of the fuel. However, very little fundamental information is currently available to understand the combustion of liquid fuels under high pressure. This project will strengthen the research capability at PVAMU in this critical area of high-pressure combustion and provide new insights into how liquid fuels burn at pressures representative of practical engines. Furthermore, quantitative results generated from this work will guide advanced engine designs and serve as a valuable database to develop, validate, and optimize numerical models. The educational components of this project include providing various research opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students at PVAMU so that underrepresented minority students in a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) can participate in the state-of-the-art research project. The outreach to K-12 students and the community will enhance the interests of middle and high school students in STEM fields to attract more minority students to pursue an education in STEM. The broader impacts of this project include that the new knowledge developed in liquid fuel combustion under high pressure has the potential to increase combustion engine efficiency and lead to advanced engine designs. Broader impacts from an educational perspective for this project are that various educational activities provided in this work will attract and retain more students for a science and engineering education and thus increase the number of graduates, especially underrepresented minorities, in STEM fields that are critical to the national security functions of DoD and the defense mission.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 28, 2023
- Source ID
- W911NF2310159
Entities
People
- Yuhao Xu
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Prairie View State College