Empirical investigation of operable fuels for micropulsejets for MAV applications

S. A. Steinmetz, F. Zheng, J. A. Scroggins, N. L. Cousineau, J. S. Sayres, T. L. Turner, W. L. Roberts

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

This paper experimentally investigates the viability of select fuels for a micropulsejet with a nominal length of 8 cm designed for use in micro air vehicles (MAVs). This micropulsejet operates at a frequency of about 1500 Hz. Candidate fuels were chosen with two basic criteria that make them reasonable for use with MAV systems: 1) energy density and 2) kinetic rate of combustion. To meet the first requirement, the tested fuels are storable as a liquid at low pressures but have a low boiling point to allow the fuel to be delivered to the combustion chamber as a gas. The fuels must also have fast kinetics to allow operation at this frequency. The laminar burning velocity is used as a measure of the overall kinetic rate, and viable fuels must be faster than that of propane, which has been shown both computationally and experimentally to be too slow. Selected fuels should have burning velocities between propane and hydrogen, which has been demonstrated to be fast enough to run on this scale but has undesirable storage properties.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationFall Meeting of the Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute 2009
PublisherCombustion Institute
Pages823-826
Number of pages4
ISBN (Electronic)9781615676682
StatePublished - 2009
Externally publishedYes
EventFall Meeting of the Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute 2009 - College Park, United States
Duration: Oct 18 2009Oct 21 2009

Publication series

NameFall Meeting of the Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute 2009

Other

OtherFall Meeting of the Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute 2009
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityCollege Park
Period10/18/0910/21/09

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemical Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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