Experimental investigation on droplet evaporation characteristics during combustion of future and current aviation fuels with range of properties

Currently there is lack of knowledge on how new types of alternative fuels and their storage conditions change the droplet evaporation characteristics. Liquid fuel is commonly stored in wide varieties of containers, where fuel characteristics may change because of the exposure to the material of the container. This study evaluates the impact of different storage containers on droplet evaporation characteristics of different fuels. It was found that there is a distinct phase transition between high volatility to low volatility phase in each fuel stored in steel drums verses fuel that is stored in plastic drums. The type of fuel contaminated by polymer additive has a high impact on fuel droplet burn rates. Polymer additives also have an impact on nucleate boiling, sub-droplets and soot particles. The burning rate constant, K, of selected pure aromatics, various fuel mixtures and Jet A with different cetane numbers have been evaluated. Research has shown that in the low volatility combustion phase a trend reduction of lowest boiling point pure aromatic burning rate to the highest boiling point pure aromatic burning rate is obvious. Irregular change in droplet diameter between the high volatility phase and low volatility phase during the combustion of aromatics blend was observed. This work has also evaluated the relationship between burning rates and cetane numbers.