High Energy Density Synthetic Fuel Development

The U.S. Navy is seeking alternative/renewable fuels to JP-10 that have an increased volumetric net heat of combustion (NHOC) while maintaining the low freezing point and low viscosity of JP-10. METSS is proposing to synthesize novel, bioderived, high-energy-density (HED) fuel molecules with volumetric NHOCs greater than that of JP-10 and create synthetic blends to take advantage of higher NHOCs while maintaining the desired low temperature properties. Phase I efforts will demonstrate the synthesis and blending of the fuel molecules along with full characterization of density, volumetric NHOC, flash point, and viscosity at the 250-mL scale. This laboratory-scale synthesis, characterization, and delivery of material to the U.S. Navy will demonstrate the production feasibility of the improved HED fuels, setting the stage for large-scale development work in the future.