Analysis of the Thermal Stability of Conventional and Alternative Fuels for Aviation
TRL5
A preencher
Laboratory for Combustion and Thermal Systems Engineering
Propulsion Systems
During the operation of an aircraft, fuel's main objective is to be the source of energy in the turbines, through its burning. In addition to this main application, it is also used as a refrigerant for various refrigeration systems, which include turbines and electronic systems. Thus, the fuel goes through thermal stress during heating and cooling, therefore, analyzing its thermal stability is important to verify changes in the fuel when subjected to these conditions. One of the concerns is that the fuel reaches a high temperature, or a �critical condition�, where this can favor the beginning of chemical reactions that lead to the formation of solid particles in the fuel and these come to adhere to the internal surfaces of pipes, valves and injection nozzles. This adhesion of particles can cause several problems in terms of injection and burning of fuel in the turbine's combustion chamber, which can lead to a reduction in the interval between maintenance and a possible increase in cost, in addition to the possibility of compromising some other system. Therefore, the analysis of the thermal stability of aviation fuels is important both for evaluating conventional fuels and for alternative fuel proposals, which include fuels with the addition of biofuel. In this line of research in the laboratory, we evaluate thermal stability using equipment in which the fuel is subjected to a turbulent flow with heating (HiReTS Test). There are other experiments to evaluate stability but under other conditions (JFTOT, for example), which partner companies in the laboratory have. Other research in this line is associated with the influence of certain chemical species on this thermal stability.