Advanced thermally stable jet fuels. Technical progress report, April 1994--June 1994
- and others
Research continued on coal-based, thermally stable, jet fuels. Significant progress has been made on the detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in highly stressed fuels, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode-array detection. Gas chromatography is not able to detect compounds with {>=}6 fused aromatic rings, but such compounds can be identified using the HPLC method. The concentration of such compounds is low in comparison to aromatics of 1-3 rings, but the role of the large compounds in the formation of solid deposits may be crucial in determining the thermal stability of a fuel. The unusual properties of fluid fuels in the near-critical region appear to have significant effects on their thermal decomposition reactions. This issue has been investigated in the present reporting period using n-tetradecane as a model compound for fuel decomposition. Temperature-programmed retention indices are very useful for gas chromatographic and gas chromatography/mass spectrometric analysis of coal and petroleum derived jet fuels. We have demonstrated this in the identification of components in two JP-8 fuels and their liquid chromatographic fractions. The role of activated carbon surfaces as catalysts in the thermal stressing of jet fuel was investigated using n-dodecane and n-octane as model compounds. In some cases the reactions were spiked with addition of 5% decalin to test the ability of the carbon to catalyze the transformation of decalin to naphthalene. We have previously shown that benzyl alcohol and 1,4-benzenedimethanol are effective stabilizers at temperatures {>=}400{degrees}C for jet fuels and the model compound dodecane. The addition of ethanol to hydrocarbon/benzyl alcohol mixtures has a significant effect on the thermal stabilization of jet fuels above 400{degrees}C. Ethanol appears to function by reducing the benzaldehyde formed during the degradation of the benzyl alcohol. This reduction regenerates the benzyl alcohol.
- Research Organization:
- Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States). Coll. of Earth and Mineral Sciences
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG22-92PC92104
- OSTI ID:
- 86902
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/PC/92104-T10; ON: DE95015516; TRN: 95:005561
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Jul 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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