Hot Surface Ignition Apparatus for Aviation Fuels

ABSTRACT: ASTM standards exist currently to characterize various combustion characteristics of flammable chemicals such as flammability limits, flash point, minimum ignition energy, and auto ignition temperature. There are no such well-accepted characterization protocols for hot surface ignition temperature measurements. This is partly due to a large variation in the (i) test setups used in the literature for hot surface ignition testing, (ii) definitions employed for HSIT and (iii) parameters perceived to govern HSIT. We propose the development of a technology that combines a unique small scale hot surface ignition apparatus with a physics based model to determine the HSIT of aviation fluids accounting key processes such as liquid injection, spray formation, thermal behavior of hot plate, turbulence, heat transfer, mixing of vapors and air, and ignition. The unique design of this apparatus and the measurement protocol generate accurate and reproducible hot surface ignition temperatures of flammable liquids in general, and aviation fluids such as jet fuels and hydraulic fluids in particular. The deliverables include the ignition apparatus and a hot surface ignition model to extend the results to other hot surfaces, fuel injection and environmental conditions.; BENEFIT: The proposed innovation fills a key void, namely the lack of an accurate and efficient technique to characterize the HSIT of aircraft and automotive fluids. Successful development and implementation of this technology is expected to significantly reduce the burden of ignition testing and improve the safety of aircraft.