Catalytic Oxidation of Jet Fuel Surrogates in a Meso-Scale Combustor

ASME 2015 Power Conference ◽

10.1115/power2015-49208 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Teresa A. Wierzbicki ◽

Ivan C. Lee ◽

Ashwani K. Gupta

Keyword(s):

Activation Energy ◽

Jet Fuel ◽

Fuel Conversion ◽

Total Oxidation ◽

Aromatic Content ◽

Rh Catalyst ◽

Aromatic Species ◽

Fuel Surrogates ◽

Meso Scale ◽

H2 Selectivity

Oxidation behavior of dodecane and two mixtures of dodecane and m-xylene (90/10 wt. % and 80/20 wt. %) over an Rh catalyst in a meso-scale heat recirculating combustor was examined to isolate the effect of aromatic content on performance. The fuel conversion, product speciation and reaction kinetics were calculated, and the global combustion behavior observed. The results showed that increasing the amount of m-xylene in the fuel increased the fuel conversion from 85% (pure dodecane) to 92% (90/10) and further to 98% (80/20). The presence of xylene also significantly increased CO2/H2O selectivity and de-creased CO/H2 selectivity. Global activation energy increased linearly with increase in xylene content, supporting that addition of aromatic species to fuel lowers the overall reactivity. The non-catalytic reaction was also simulated using Chemkin software to determine the effect of the Rh catalyst on the combustor performance. The results revealed that the catalyst promotes total oxidation over partial oxidation, and lowers the global activation energy by up to 70%.

Download Full-text

Rh assisted catalytic oxidation of jet fuel surrogates in a meso-scale combustor

Applied Energy ◽

10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.01.097 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 145 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Teresa A. Wierzbicki ◽

Ivan C. Lee ◽

Ashwani K. Gupta

Keyword(s):

Catalytic Oxidation ◽

Jet Fuel ◽

Fuel Surrogates ◽

Meso Scale

Download Full-text

Catalytic and Non-Catalytic Combustion of Propane in a Meso-Scale Heat Recirculating Combustor

Volume 1: Fuels and Combustion, Material Handling, Emissions; Steam Generators; Heat Exchangers and Cooling Systems; Turbines, Generators and Auxiliaries; Plant Operations and Maintenance; Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAM); Plant Systems, Structures, Components and Materials Issues ◽

10.1115/power2014-32215 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Teresa A. Wierzbicki ◽

Ivan C. Lee ◽

Ashwani K. Gupta

Keyword(s):

Activation Energy ◽

Catalytic Combustion ◽

Combustion Efficiency ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

Combustion Stability ◽

Pt Catalyst ◽

Limiting Factor ◽

Propane Conversion ◽

Rh Catalyst ◽

Meso Scale

The results from the observed combustion behavior of propane over platinum and rhodium catalysts in a meso-scale heat recirculating combustor are presented. The extinction limits, conversion, product selectivity/yield, and activation energy using the two catalysts were compared in an effort to determine their performance using a liquid fuel. The extinction limits were also compared to those of non-catalytic combustion in the same reactor. The results showed that the addition of a catalyst greatly expanded the range of stable operating conditions, in respect to both extinction limits and flow rates supported. The Rh catalyst was found to exhibit a higher propane conversion rate, reaching a maximum of 90.4% at stoichiometric conditions (as opposed to the 61.4% offered by the Pt catalyst at lean conditions); however, the Pt catalyst had superior CO2 selectivity for most studied conditions, indicating higher combustion efficiency. The Pt catalyst also had a significantly smaller activation energy (13.8 kJ/mol) than the Rh catalyst (74.7 kJ/mol), except at equivalence ratios richer than Φ = 1.75 (corresponding to catalyst temperatures below 500 °C), where it abruptly changed to 211.4 kJ/mol, signifying a transition from diffusion-limited reactions to kinetically limited reactions at this point. The results reveal that Rh would be a more suitable catalyst for use in a liquid-fueled meso-scale combustor, as fuel conversion has been shown to be a limiting factor for combustion stability in these systems.

Download Full-text

Selection and performance comparison of jet fuel surrogates for autothermal reforming

Fuel ◽

10.1016/j.fuel.2010.12.040 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 90 (4) ◽

pp. 1439-1448 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Terry G. DuBois ◽

Sen Nieh

Keyword(s):

Jet Fuel ◽

Performance Comparison ◽

Autothermal Reforming ◽

And Performance ◽

Fuel Surrogates

Download Full-text

Effect of Aromatics in Jet Fuels on Spray Characteristics Downstream of an Aeronautical Pressure Swirl Atomizer

Volume 4A: Combustion, Fuels and Emissions ◽

10.1115/gt2016-56565 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Julien Leparoux ◽

Renaud Lecourt ◽

Olivier Penanhoat

Keyword(s):

Alternative Fuels ◽

Jet Fuel ◽

Injection System ◽

Jet Fuels ◽

Particle Emissions ◽

Aromatic Content ◽

Swirl Atomizer ◽

Pressure Swirl ◽

The Impact ◽

Pressure Swirl Atomizer

Standard aeronautic fuels have a lower limit of aromatics of 8% (by volume) with about 18% for regular Jet A1. It has been shown that aromatics contained in Jet fuel have an impact on the fine particle emissions. In order to reduce these emissions, alternative fuels with lower aromatic content have been identified as a promising solution. Change Jet fuel composition can have several effects on spray and combustion behaviors, among others: atomization process, droplet evaporation, flame structure, pollutant and particle emissions. Then, it is necessary to evaluate the impact of this change on gas turbine performance and operability. The present study is focused on the spray behavior investigation with different aromatic content. Four Jet fuels are investigated including conventional Jet A1 kerosene, drop-in fuel with a mixture of half conventional Jet fuel and synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK), SPK with 8% of aromatics and pure SPK. The tests are performed at atmospheric conditions on the MERCATO testbed located at ONERA (FR). Phase Doppler Anemometry (PDA) measurements are carried out for the four fuels on an injection system composed of a pressure swirl atomizer and an air swirler. In this paper, a spray analysis of liquid velocity and droplet diameter measurements is described and linked to the variations of fuel properties. In the range of parameters covered by the four different fuels, it is shown that the spray behavior of each fuel is similar to the conventional Jet A1.

Download Full-text