Honors College Theses

Publication Date

4-1-2024

Major

Mechanical Engineering (B.S.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Valentin Soloiu

Abstract

An investigation was conducted to examine the effects of the cetane improver 2-Ethylhexyl Nitrate (2-EHN) on the thermophysical properties and combustion characteristics of Iso-Paraffinic Kerosene (IPK), Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (S8), and Jet-A. In the preliminary analysis, each fuel was blended with 0.5% 2-EHN by mass and analyzed based on heating value, viscosity, spray droplet distribution, volatility. Ignition Delay (ID), Combustion Delay (CD), and Derived Cetane Number were also investigated. It was observed that the addition of cetane improver resulted in reduced heating value and viscosity, but an increase in concentration of large particles. Jet-A and S8 saw a marked reduction in ID and CD, which significantly increased DCN. Alternatively, while IPK saw notable reductions in ID and CD, the DCN did increase significantly. In the primary combustion analysis, each fuel is blended with 0.01%, 0.1%, and 0.5% 2-EHN by mass, and investigated based on combustion pressure, Apparent Heat Release Rate (AHRR), and combustion region duration and energy content. It was observed that, with the addition of 2-EHN, Jet-A and S8 experienced advanced ignition and combustion timing, and reductions in combustion pressure and AHRR. IPK exhibited similar advancement in timing and reduction in pressure and AHRR to the other fuels, but only in the Low Temperature Heat Release Region (LTHR) region. In the High Temperature Heat Release Region (HTHR), IPK experienced a delay in timing and AHRR reduction until a threshold of 0.5% 2-EHN was reached, at which point an advance in combustion timing and an increase in AHRR was observed.

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