Soluble Catalysts to Improve Jet Fuel Combustion and Fuel Heat Sink Capacity

Currently, there is a strong need to develop new air breathing propulsion systems to launch vehicles into space, and Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) propulsion systems likely will be used for this purpose. In the scramjet portion of the cycle, it is difficult to maintain stable combustion, and the overall heat load in a scramjet engine exceeds the cooling capacity that can be provided from the sensible heating of hydrocarbon-based jet fuels. Therefore, the fuel must contain additives that improve combustion along with its cooling capacity. In the Phase I portion of this STTR project, TDA Research, Inc. (TDA) prepared fuel-soluble catalysts and determined that the catalysts improved combustion and increased the rate of endothermic cracking reactions. In addition, we obtained comprehensive surface and particle size characterizations of several catalysts. In Phase II, we will optimize the catalyst formulations and carry out combustion and cracking tests under more representative conditions. We will conduct tests in an integrated test rig where we feed the products produced in our cracking rig directly into the combustion rig. Finally, Professor Scott Anderson's group at the University of Utah will build a sampling probe so we can sample and characterize reactive intermediates in the combustion reactor.