Initiators for Endothermic Fuels

Aircraft designed for flight in the Mach 3-6 range must incorporate active cooling in the turbo-ramjet propulsion system. The required cooling can be provided by endothermic reactions of the fuel prior to its combustion. Most endothermic fuel reactions require a catalyst. Incorporation of a solid catalyst into a fuel heat exchanger suitable for aircraft use significantly complicates its design and increases its size and weight. In addition, catalyst lifetime, in many cases, is limited and the catalyst must be periodically replaced or regenerated. TDA Research (TDA) proposes to investigate compounds that, when added to hydrocarbon fuels, initiate endothermic fuel reactions. TDA will conduct tests with a variety of initiators and measure the reaction rate, product distribution, and the endotherm of the reaction. We will compare the results to both catalyzed and uncatalyzed reactions.