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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2

Simple Autoignition Model for the Derived Cetane Number of Oxygenated Compounds and Fuel Blends

A simple four-step autoignition model was used to derive an expression for the ignition delay and derived cetane number (DCN) measured by ignition quality testers (IQT) for oxygenated compounds and blends as a function of each compound’s global initiation and net chain branching rate constants. Expressions for these values were determined assuming they could be related to the functional groups present in a given compound. Measurements for 124 compounds and 94 binary and ternary blends, gathered from the literature and performed at UW-Madison, were used to obtain the explicit dependence of the measured ignition delay on each functional group. The new model was able to successfully describe the ignition behavior of both the compounds and blends, with an average DCN error of 5.0 (22%) and 3.5 (15%), respectively. Additionally, the blend model could naturally be modified into a mixing rule by incorporating existing IQT ignition delay data for each compound. Use of the mixing rule was found to offer improvements over the full prediction, with an average DCN error of 3.2 (14%).

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Characterization of Flashback and Flame-Holding in a Jet-in-Crossflow Mixing Configuration With Methane–Hydrogen Fuel Blends

An approach that combines experimental and numerical analyses has been implemented to characterize the fundamentals of flashback events and flame-holding phenomena during high-hydrogen combustion in a jet-in-crossflow (JICF) configuration. Such flame dynamics are visualized experimentally using nanosecond (ns)-based hydroxyl planar laser-induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF) and chemiluminescence diagnostics techniques. The JICF burner has an optically accessible premixing tube allowing the optical diagnostics. The testing was conducted for varied premixer velocities (V) and equivalence ratio (ϕ) for 90–100% (H 2 , by mole) H 2 /CH 4 reactant mixtures at atmospheric temperature and pressure conditions. Two distinct flashback events were identified – conventional rich flashback and lean flashback, recorded while increasing ϕ and decreasing ϕ, respectively. The cause of lean flashback was attributed to lower momentum flux ratio which bends the jet sharply, closer toward the injection plane. The mean OH-PLIF images characterized the flame-holding behavior, where the flame was found to be stabilized on the leeward side only or on both windward and leeward sides as a lifted flame near the fuel port. A large eddy simulation (LES) with detailed chemistry combustion modeling approach was implemented along with an OH* submechanism, and it showed qualitative agreement with the integrated line-of-sight chemiluminescence results as well as the planar OH-PLIF measurements.

chemiluminescence diagnostic↗

Characterization of Flashback and Flame-Holding in a Jet-in-Crossflow Mixing Configuration with Methane-Hydrogen Fuel Blends

An approach that combines experimental and numerical analyses has been implemented to characterize the fundamentals of flashback events and flame-holding phenomena during high-hydrogen combustion in a jet-in-crossflow (JICF) configuration. Such flame dynamics are visualized experimentally using nanosecond (ns)-based hydroxyl planar laser-induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF) and chemiluminescence diagnostics techniques. The JICF burner has an optically accessible pre-mixing tube allowing the optical diagnostics. The testing was conducted for varied pre-mixer velocities (V) and equivalence ratio (ϕ) for 90%-100% (H2, by mole) H2/CH4 reactant mixtures at atmospheric temperature and pressure conditions. Two distinct flashback events were identified – conventional rich flashback and lean flashback, recorded while increasing ϕ and decreasing ϕ, respectively. The cause of lean flashback was attributed to lower momentum flux ratio which bends the jet sharply, closer toward the injection plane. The mean OH-PLIF images characterized the flame-holding behavior where the flame was found to be stabilized on the leeward side only or on both windward and leeward sides as a lifted flame near the fuel port. A large eddy simulation (LES) with detailed chemistry combustion modeling approach was implemented along with an OH* sub-mechanism, and it showed qualitative agreement with the integrated line-of-sight chemiluminescence results as well as the planar OH-PLIF measurements.

chemiluminescence diagnostic↗

Characterization of Flashback and Flame-Holding in a Jet-in-Crossflow Mixing Configuration with Methane-Hydrogen Fuel Blends

An approach that combines experimental and numerical analyses has been implemented to characterize the fundamentals of flashback events and flame-holding phenomena during high-hydrogen combustion in a jet-in-crossflow (JICF) configuration. Such flame dynamics are visualized experimentally using nanosecond (ns)-based hydroxyl planar laser-induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF) and chemiluminescence diagnostics techniques. The JICF burner has an optically accessible pre-mixing tube allowing the optical diagnostics. The testing was conducted for varied pre-mixer velocities (V) and equivalence ratio (ϕ) for 90%-100% (H2, by mole) H2/CH4 reactant mixtures at atmospheric temperature and pressure conditions. Two distinct flashback events were identified – conventional rich flashback and lean flashback, recorded while increasing ϕ and decreasing ϕ, respectively. The cause of lean flashback was attributed to the lower momentum flux ratio which bends the jet sharply, closer toward the injection plane. The mean OH-PLIF images characterized the flame-holding behavior where the flame was found to be stabilized on the leeward side only or on both windward and leeward sides as a lifted flame near the fuel port. A Large Eddy Simulation (LES) with detailed chemistry combustion modeling approach was implemented along an OH* sub-mechanism, and it showed qualitative agreement with the integrated line-of-sight chemiluminescence results as well as the planar OH-PLIF measurements.

flame holding↗

Characterization of Flashback and Flame-Holding in a Jet-In-Crossflow Mixing Configuration with Methane-Hydrogen Fuel Blends

An approach that combines experimental and numerical analyses has been implemented to characterize the fundamentals of flashback events and flame-holding phenomena during high-hydrogen combustion in a jet-in-crossflow (JICF) configuration. Such flame dynamics are visualized experimentally using nanosecond (ns)-based hydroxyl planar laser-induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF) and chemiluminescence (CL) diagnostics techniques. The JICF burner has an optically accessible pre-mixing tube allowing the optical diagnostics. The testing was conducted for varied pre-mixer velocities (V) and equivalence ratio (ϕ) for 90%-100% (H2, by mole) H2/CH4 reactant mixtures at atmospheric temperature and pressure conditions. Two distinct flashbacks were identified – conventional rich flashback and lean flashback, recorded while increasing ϕ and decreasing ϕ, respectively. The cause of lean flashback was attributed to lower flux ratio which bends the jet sharply, closer toward the injection plane. The flashback was found to occur along the boundary layer, assisted by the inner wall of the pre-mixer tube. The mean OH-PLIF images characterized the flame-holding behavior where the flame was found to be stabilized on the leeward side only or on both windward and leeward sides as a lifted flame near the fuel port.

flame holding↗

Simple Autoignition Model for the Derived Cetane Number of Oxygenated Compounds and Fuel Blends

A four-step autoignition model was used to derive an expression for the ignition delay and derived cetane number (DCN) measured by ignition quality testers (IQT) for oxygenated compounds and blends as a function of each compound’s global initiation and net chain branching rate constants. Expressions for these values were determined assuming they could be related to the functional groups present in a compound. Measurements for 124 compounds and 94 binary and ternary blends, gathered from the literature and performed at UW-Madison, were used to obtain the dependence of the measured ignition delay on each functional group. The new model was able to describe the ignition behavior of both the compounds and blends, with an average DCN error of 5.0 (22%) and 3.5 (15%), respectively. Additionally, the blend model was transformed into a mixing rule by incorporating existing IQT ignition delay data for each compound. Use of the mixing rule was found to offer improvements over the full prediction, with an average DCN error of 3.2 (14%).

Witkowski, Dustin↗

Combustion of Butyl acetate as an alternative additive to petroleum fuels

Blending petroleum fuels with oxygenates is a common approach to stem the depletion of crude oil while also mitigating the impact of their combustion on the environment. It has recently been considered that butyl acetate (BA, C6H12O2 , boiling point of 399K) could be a viable oxygenate additive to diesel fuel. The platform used to study combustion of commercial and synthesized BA was an isolated droplet burning with spherical symmetry. The experiments were carried out in a drop tower to minimize buoyant convection. Restricting motion by supporting droplets on 14 micrometer fibers eliminated forced convection. Precise control of the initial diameter was achieved by first deploying large droplets and letting them evaporate to the size of interest, here being between 0.3 mm to 0.8 mm. The experimental results show that commercial and the newly synthesized BA burned almost identically for the evolution of droplet and flame diameters. Droplets burned slower as the initial diameter was increased and soot formation was noted for the larger sizes studied due to a residence size effect. Burning in a buoyant convective field showed higher burn rates due to the convective effect and that the asymmetric flames became nearly spherical as diameter decreased. The study illustrates the significant value that the microgravity environment brings to evaluating performance of oxygenated fuels synthesized by new production methods.

Wang, Yujie↗

Rapid Assessment of Autoignition Propensity in Novel Fuels and Blends

We developed a computational strategy to correlate bulk combustion metrics of novel fuels and blends in the low-temperature autoignition regime with measurements of key combustion intermediates in a small-volume, dilute, high-pressure reactor. We used neural net analysis of a large simulation dataset to obtain an approximate correlation and proposed experimental and computational steps needed to refine such a predictive correlation. We also designed and constructed a high-pressure laboratory apparatus to conduct the proposed measurements and demonstrated its performance on three canonical fuels: n-heptane, i-octane, and dimethyl ether.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗

Lignin-based jet fuel and its blending effect with conventional jet fuel

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) must demonstrate specific physical and chemical properties as well as material compatibility (i.e., seal swell) to be used as an aviation turbine fuel. Several alternative jet fuels incorporated in ASTM D7566 are comprised mainly of n/iso-alkanes and can only be blended up to 50 vol% due to material compatibility and density issues. Prior work illustrated the ability of cycloalkanes to replace aromatics’s role in material compatibility. Here, we report the first archival documentation of a feedstock and chemical process to yield a product composition able to complement existing SAF ASTM D7566 annexes. A lignin-based jet fuel (LJF) blend components is generated and composed of mostly C7-C18 mono, di, and tri-cycloalkanes. The neat LJF was blended with conventional jet fuel at 10 vol% (LJF blend) to simulate an ASTM “Fast Track” evaluation process. Fuel properties that are critical to engine operability (ATSM D4054 Tier 3 & 4) were either predicted or experimental tested based on the volume availability. All LJF blend’s critical properties fall within the experience range of conventional jet fuel, with o-ring swelling exceeding the typical range of conventional fuels. Here, these results in total support the potential use of this LJF pathway to complement other SAF pathways and achieve 100% drop-in SAF.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Corrosion Studies of Pine-Derived Bio-Oil and Heavy Fuel Oil Blends

To reduce the amount of greenhouse gas produced from the combustion of petroleum fuels, renewable liquid fuels are needed. Pyrolysis of biomass provides a means to produce liquid fuels to displace current petroleum products. However, common ferrous alloys are susceptible to high corrosion rates when exposed to bio-oil. This study analyzes the effects of blending bio-oil derived from loblolly pine with heavy fuel oil added to reduce corrosion of common structural alloys. Laboratory corrosion studies of six different blends of bio-oil/heavy fuel oil were performed for 1,000 hours at 50°C. Chemical characterization was also performed to determine the total acid content of each blend. Post-exposure characterizations such as changes in weight, X-ray diffraction, dye penetrant testing, and metallography were performed to provide more insight into the corrosion mechanism of bio-oil/heavy fuel oil blends. We hypothesized that the corrosion rates of ferrous alloys would increase with an increase in bio-oil concentration. The results of these characterization and corrosion studies confirmed this hypothesis and will be reported.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Stability, Combustion, and Compatibility of High-Viscosity Heavy Fuel Oil Blends with a Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil

Properties related to the combustion, stability, and compatibility of blends composed of high-viscosity heavy fuel oil (HFO) and highly acidic pyrolysis bio-oil were determined to assess the utility of bio-oil as a marine fuel. The addition of bio-oil was shown to be fully stable with HFO at blend levels up to 50 mass % for up to 2 weeks. Bio-oil concentrations as low as 5 mass % significantly reduced the viscosity of HFO at 25 and 50 °C. Aging studies at 50 and 90 °C showed that the HFO inhibited the polymerization of bio-oil. The heating value and lubricity showed a linear dependency with bio-oil content, and combustion quality was acceptable for blends containing up to 15% bio-oil. The highly acidic bio-oil was found to be corrosive to carbon steel, 2.25Cr-1Mo steel, and 409 stainless steels, but not 304L and 316L. When blended into HFO at levels less than 19 mass %, no measurable corrosion was observed on any of the steel materials, but a 50 mass % concentration produced low-to-moderate corrosion in the carbon steel, 2.25Cr-1Mo steel, and 409 stainless steel grades. The combination of good blend stability, polymerization inhibition, reduced viscosity, and acceptable compatibility for low blend levels suggests that bio-oils may be suitable for use as a marine fuel.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗