| The combustion of modern jet fuel, known as Jet A, in aero-derived gas turbine engines is a complicated process that is not fully understood. While many attempts have been made to produce numerical and chemical models of Jet A, the current lack of consensus within literature suggests that more work remains. This work will study three pure substances, which are representative of the chemical components that comprise typical jet fuels. n-Decane represents the alkanes present in Jet A, methylcyclohexane the cyclic hydrocarbons, and toluene the aromatics. All three compounds are used to stabilize flames in a stagnation flow burner, with their velocity profiles measured using particle image velocimetry. These velocity profiles are then compared so that the relative reactivity of these three compounds can be established. It was found that the most reactive substance was n-decane, followed by methylcyclohexane, with toluene being the least reactive. In addition, the predictions of an analytical hydrodynamic model are compared to experimental results. The analytical model was found to be in good agreement under stoichiometric and fuel rich conditions, but diverges as the flames become increasingly fuel lean. This result can be explained either by issues which remain in the experimental apparatus, or by inaccuracies within data collected from literature, and this warrants further investigation. The experience gained in assembling the apparatus will be used to continue its development to facilitate future studies. |
