Alturaifi, Sulaiman Abdulaziz A (2018-06). Ignition Delay Time Measurements of Jet, Rocket, and Diesel Fuel. Master's Thesis. Thesis uri icon

abstract

  • Multicomponent fuels, such as kerosene and diesel fuel, are the primary source of energy powering the engines used in the transportation sector. The study of these fuels is essential to improving engine efficiency and reduce pollutants. This efficiency improvement can be partially achieved by improving the combustion chemistry, which can potentially lead to numerous economic and environmental benefits. Several parameters affect the combustion chemistry, but one of the most important parameters is the ignition delay time of the fuel and oxidizer. The work presented in this thesis explored the ignition behavior of three fuels heavily utilized in the transportation sector. Ignition delay times were measured for gas-phase jet fuel (Jet-A), rocket propellant (RP-1), and diesel fuel (DF-2), in a heated, high-pressure shock tube. The measurements were performed behind a reflected shock wave for each fuel in air over a temperature range of 785 to 1293 K for two equivalence ratios, ? = 0.5 and 1.0, at two different pressures, 10 and 20 atm. Ignition delay time was determined by observing the pressure and OH* chemiluminescence (~307 nm) at the endwall location. Measured ignition delay times for Jet-A were in agreement with the available historical data from the literature. Results showed few differences in ignition delay times between any of the three fuels over the temperature range studied. High-temperature correlations were developed to accurately predict the ignition delay times of the three fuels. The experimental measurements for Jet-A and DF-2 were modeled using several chemical kinetics mechanisms utilizing different surrogate mixtures. To the author's knowledge, this study presents the first gas-phase ignition delay time measurements for RP-1. In addition, the data presented in this thesis expand the archival data of Jet-A and DF-2 to a broader range of conditions.

publication date

  • June 2018