Development of Reduced Chemical Kinetic Models for Hydrocarbon Fuels Validated by High-Pressure Flow Reactor Experiments

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI), in collaboration with Spectral Sciences Inc. (SSI), proposes an innovative approach to develop validated models of modern, high pressure liquid rocket engines (LRE) of interest to the Air Force where critical validation data for hydrocarbon combustion are unavailable. The data will be obtained at relevant LRE conditions by PSI, and will be used to validate reduced chemical kinetic mechanisms developed through a novel coarse graining quasi-steady state mechanism reduction approach developed by SSI. During Phase I, PSI will develop a high-pressure continuous flow combustion reactor (HP-CFCR) with a maximum operating pressure of 60 atm. Exhaust gas species concentrations and soot volume fractions will be measured from a C2H4 diffusion flame in the reactor. This data will be used to validate a reduced chemical kinetic model for C2H4 generated by SSI’s mechanism reduction approach. In the Phase II program, SSI’s mechanism reduction approach will be applied to large hydrocarbons that are representative constituents of kerosene-based rocket fuels and validated using a HP-CRCR capable of >100 atm operation. At the conclusion of the program, a validated kinetic mechanism reduction approach will have been demonstrated, and a unique high pressure testbed will exist to collect additional critical validation data.