The Low to Intermediate Temperature Oxidation of n Propylcyclohexanein a Pressurized Flow Reactor

Currently computational capabilities for next generation, air-breathing propulsion systems are underutilized in terms of combustion. This lack thereof represents an area of immense research that has ignited a profound interest within the combustion community. However, major hurdles exist that obstruct the community’s pathway to this goal. The important problems that need to be addressed can be grouped into two categories of project goals. First, the combustion properties of practical fuels and their associated surrogate components and mixtures used in air-breathing combustion systems must be understood and quantified. Second, the development of detailed reaction models and strategies for model reduction for use in large-scale simulations must be addressed. These project goals present a daunting task because of the large number of chemical components and classes contained in practical jet fuels derived from petroleum or alternative resources, such as natural gas and coal. It is well accepted that the solution to this problem is to develop surrogates for real jet fuels that contain a reduced amount of chemical components and classes. These surrogates are developed to match the physical properties and chemical kinetics of the practical jet fuels such that the combustion phenomena of the surrogates mimic that of the real jet fuel. Currently the combustion properties of practical jet fuels remain poorly understood and surrogate development is an ongoing process. The desired outcome of this effort is the improved qualitative understanding and quantitative predictability of the combustion properties of practical jet fuels and their surrogates, and the development of reliable kinetic models that may be used in practical combustion applications for design purposes. The JP-8 jet fuel cycloalkane surrogate component n-propylcyclohexane was oxidized in the Drexel Pressurized Flow Reactor (PFR) to gain further insight into its associated combustion kinetics