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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1984

Chemical kinetic reaction mechanism for the combustion of propane

A detailed chemical kinetic reaction mechanism for the combustion of propane is presented and discussed. The mechanism consists of 27 chemical species and 83 elementary chemical reactions. Ignition and combustion data as determined in shock tube studies were used to evaluate the mechanism. Numerical simulation of the shock tube experiments showed that the kinetic behavior predicted by the mechanism for stoichiometric mixtures is in good agrement with the experimental results over the entire temperature range examined (1150-2600K). Sensitivity and theoretical studies carried out using the mechanism revealed that hydrocarbon reactions which are involved in the formation of the HO2 radical and the H2O2 molecule are very important in the mechanism and that the observed nonlinear behavior of ignition delay time with decreasing temperature can be interpreted in terms of the increased importance of the HO2 and H2O2 reactions at the lower temperatures.

Jachimowski, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Supercritical convection, critical heat flux, and coking characteristics of propane

The heat transfer characteristics of propane at subcritical and supercritical pressure were experimentally evaluated using electrically heated Monel K-500 tubes. A design correlation for supercritical heat transfer coefficient was established using the approach previously applied to supercritical oxygen. Flow oscillations were observed and the onset of these oscillations at supercritical pressures was correlated with wall-to-bulk temperature ratio and velocity. The critical heat flux measured at subcritical pressure was correlated with the product of velocity and subcooling. Long duration tests at fixed heat flux conditions were conducted to evaluate coking on the coolant side tube wall and coking rates comparable to RP-1 were observed.

Rousar, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Laboratory studies, analysis, and interpretation of the spectra of hydrocarbons present in planetary atmospheres including cyanoacetylene, acetylene, propane, and ethane

Combining broadband Fourier transform spectrometers (FTS) from the McMath facility at NSO and from NRC in Ottawa and narrow band TDL data from the laboratories with computational physics techniques has produced a broad range of results for the study of planetary atmospheres. Motivation for the effort flows from the Voyager/IRIS observations and the needs of Voyager analysis for laboratory results. In addition, anticipation of the Cassini mission adds incentive to pursue studies of observed and potentially observable constituents of planetary atmospheres. Current studies include cyanoacetylene, acetylene, propane, and ethane. Particular attention is devoted to cyanoacetylen (H3CN) which is observed in the atmosphere of Titan. The results of a high resolution infrared laboratory study of the line positions of the 663, 449, and 22.5/cm fundamental bands are presented. Line position, reproducible to better than 5 MHz for the first two bands, are available for infrared astrophysical searches. Intensity and broadening studies are in progress. Acetylene is a nearly ubiquitous atmospheric constituent of the outer planets and Titan due to the nature of methane photochemistry. Results of ambient temperature absolute intensity measurements are presented for the fundamental and two two-quantum hotband in the 730/cm region. Low temperature hotband intensity and linewidth measurements are planned.

Blass, William E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Propane spectral resolution enhancement by the maximum entropy method

The Burg algorithm for maximum entropy power spectral density estimation is applied to a time series of data obtained from a Michelson interferometer and compared with a standard FFT estimate for resolution capability. The propane transmittance spectrum was estimated by use of the FFT with a 2 to the 18th data sample interferogram, giving a maximum unapodized resolution of 0.06/cm. This estimate was then interpolated by zero filling an additional 2 to the 18th points, and the final resolution was taken to be 0.06/cm. Comparison of the maximum entropy method (MEM) estimate with the FFT was made over a 45/cm region of the spectrum for several increasing record lengths of interferogram data beginning at 2 to the 10th. It is found that over this region the MEM estimate with 2 to the 16th data samples is in close agreement with the FFT estimate using 2 to the 18th samples.

Bonavito, N. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Numerical simulation of Jet-A combustion approximated by improved propane chemical kinetics

Through the effort devoted to the chemical kinetics for propane air combustion, three mechanisms are developed. The full mechanism consists of 131 reactions. This mechanism is used as a guide for the evaluation of other mechanisms, but because of the long expected cpu time, it is not to be incorporated into the computer code KIVA-II for actual simulation. Through the sensitivity analysis, a reduced mechanism of 45 reactions is produced. But the calculated results from the 45 reaction mechanism are always low in temperature. Some efforts are devoted to correct this situation and details are included in this report. A simplified mechanism of reactions is successfully improved and computed results are compared with experimental data. Contour plots of physical parameters and species concentrations and results for emission indices of CO and NOx are presented.

Ying, Shuh-Jing↗
NASA NTRS1991

A two-dimensional study of ethane and propane oxidation in the troposphere

The chemistry of ethane and propane is studied using a global two-dimensional 'zonally averaged' height- and latitude-dependent tropospheric model. The purpose of the study is to derive theoretical estimates of the seasonal and latitudinal distributions of a variety of intermediate organic compounds formed by the photochemical oxidation of C2H6 and C3H8. It is shown that C2H6 and C3H8 emitted at rates of 16 Tg C2H6/a and 23 Tg C3H8/a do not affect the overall photochemistry of the troposphere significantly. Major global effects on O3 and OH concentrations are suggested to be coming from the formation of peroxyacetyl nitrate by the interactions of NOx with other hydrocarbons with strong and spatially correlated anthropogenic or natural sources at the earth's surface. It is pointed out that attention should be given to organic nitrates produced by the oxidation of NMHC other than C2H6 and C3H8.

Kanakidou, M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The promising chemical kinetics for the simulation of propane-air combustion with KIVA-II code

The development of chemical kinetics for the simulation of propane-air combustion with the use of computer code KIVA-II since 1989 is summarized here. In order to let readers understand the general feature well, a brief description of the KIVA-II code, specially related with the chemical reactions is also given. Then the results of recent work with 20 reaction mechanism is presented. It is also compared with the 5 reaction mechanism. It may be expected that the numerical stability of the 20 reaction mechanism is better as compared to that of 5 reaction mechanism, but the CPU time of the CRAY computer is much longer. Details are presented in the paper.

Ying, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1954

Flame quenching by a variable-width rectangular-slot burner as a function of pressure for various propane-oxygen-nitrogen mixtures

Flame quenching by a variable-width rectangular-slot burner as a function of pressure for various propane-oxygen-nitrogen mixtures was investigated. It was found that for cold gas temperatures of 27 degrees C, pressures of 0.1 ro 1.0 atmosphere, and volumetric oxygen reactions of the oxidant of 0.17, 0.21, 0.30, 0.50, and 0.70, the relation between pressure p and quenching distance d is approximately given by d (unity) p (superscript -r) with r = 1, for equivalence ratios approximately equal to one. The quenching equation of Simon and Belles was tested. For equivalence ratios less than or equal to unity, this equation may by used, together with one empirical constant, to predict the observed quenching distance within 4.2 percent. The equation in it's present form does not appear to be suitable for values of the equivalence ratio greater than unity. A quantitative theoretical investigation has also been made of the error implicit in the assumption that flame quenching by plane parallel plates of infinite extent is equivalent to that of a rectangular burner. A curve is presented which relates the magnitude of this error to the length-to-width ratio of the rectangular burner.

COMBUSTION RESEARCH↗
NASA NTRS1949

Spark ignition of flowing gases I : energies to ignite propane-air mixtures in pressure range of 2 to 4 inches mercury absolute

Ignition studies of flowing gases were made to obtain information applicable to ignition problems in gas-turbine and ram-jet aircraft propulsion systems operating at altitude conditions.Spark energies required for ignition of a flowing propane-air mixture were determined for pressure of 2 to 4 inches mercury absolute, gas velocities of 5.0 to 54.2 feet per second, fuel-air ratios of 0.0607 to 0.1245, and spark durations of 1.5 to 24,400 microseconds. The results showed that at a pressure of 3 inches mercury absolute the minimum energy required for ignition occurred at fuel-air ratios of 0.08 to 0.095. The energy required for ignition increased almost linearly with increasing gas velocity. Shortening the spark duration from approximately 25,000 to 125 microseconds decreased the amount of energy required for ignition. A spark produced by the discharge of a condenser directly into the spark gap and having a duration of 1.5 microseconds required ignition energies larger than most of the long-duration sparks.

Swett, Clyde C , Jr↗
NASA NTRS2003

Cool Flames in Propane-Oxygen Premixtures at Low and Intermediate Temperatures at Reduced-Gravity

The Cool Flame Experiment aims to address the role of diffusive transport on the structure and the stability of gas-phase, non-isothermal, hydrocarbon oxidation reactions, cool flames and auto-ignition fronts in an unstirred, static reactor. These reactions cannot be studied on Earth where natural convection due to self-heating during the course of slow reaction dominates diffusive transport and produces spatio-temporal variations in the thermal and thus species concentration profiles. On Earth, reactions with associated Rayleigh numbers (Ra) less than the critical Ra for onset of convection (Ra(sub cr) approx. 600) cannot be achieved in laboratory-scale vessels for conditions representative of nearly all low-temperature reactions. In fact, the Ra at 1g ranges from 10(exp 4) - 10(exp 5) (or larger), while at reduced-gravity, these values can be reduced two to six orders of magnitude (below Ra(sub cr)), depending on the reduced-gravity test facility. Currently, laboratory (1g) and NASA s KC-135 reduced-gravity (g) aircraft studies are being conducted in parallel with the development of a detailed chemical kinetic model that includes thermal and species diffusion. Select experiments have also been conducted at partial gravity (Martian, 0.3gearth) aboard the KC-135 aircraft. This paper discusses these preliminary results for propane-oxygen premixtures in the low to intermediate temperature range (310- 350 C) at reduced-gravity.

Pearlman, Howard↗
DOE OSTI2026

Dual Chemical Looping/Catalytic Process for Alkylation of Benzene With Ethane and Propane Yielding Ethylbenzene and Cumene Over Copper‐Containing Mordenite

Given the sustained demand for alkylated aromatics and the strained olefin market, there is an urgent need to develop efficient one‐step processes for the direct alkylation of aromatics using alkanes instead of olefins. Such technologies offer greater energy efficiency and sustainability by eliminating the need for separate, energy‐intensive alkane dehydrogenation steps. In this work, we report a dual chemical looping / catalytic process that couples alkane dehydrogenation with aromatic alkylation over a copper‐containing mordenite yielding up to 25% of alkylated aromatics with >97% selectivity per cycle. In situ MAS NMR and FTIR spectroscopies combined with DFT calculations showed that the alkylation of benzene with alkanes proceeds via a π‐bounded Cu(I)‐olefin intermediate, which subsequently interacts with benzene, catalyzed by Brønsted acid sites, leading to alkylated products that readily desorb from the active material into the gas phase. DFT calculations show that alkylation mediated solely by Cu(I) has prohibitively high barriers (>1.8 eV), whereas a bi‐functional pathway involving both Cu(I) and Brønsted acid sites can proceed with significantly lower barrier (0.8 eV) through a concerted C–C bond formation and proton transfer step.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

AOI 5 Improved Efficiency of Medium- and Heavy-Duty Natural Gas and Propane (LPG) Engines

Spark-ignited heavy-duty (HD) natural gas engines typically experience efficiency losses at part-load operation due to throttling requirements needed to maintain stoichiometric combustion. A substantial portion of medium- and heavy-duty engine operation occurs in this low-load region, resulting in increased brake-specific carbon dioxide emissions and reduced overall efficiency. This project designed, developed and demonstrated cylinder deactivation (CDA) technology on an HD natural gas engine to mitigate these losses. CDA enables selective deactivation of cylinders, reducing pumping losses while maintaining required torque output and meeting vehicle noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) targets. The project objectives were successfully achieved, demonstrating up to 12% improvement in fuel consumption over the next generation HD NG engine on key low loaded HD cycles and maintained compliance with 0.02 g/hp-hr NO x emissions with comparable or better vibrations to current product. These results confirm that CDA technology can substantially improve the fuel efficiency and environmental performance of heavy-duty natural gas engines, reinforcing their potential as a low-carbon bridge solution in the transition toward zero-emission transportation technologies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗