Effect of RP-1 Compositional Variability on Thermal Conductivity at High Temperatures and High Pressures

Abstract

The thermal conductivity of rocket propellant RP-1 has been measured with a coaxial-cylinder (steady-state) technique. Measurements were made in the temperature range from 292 to 732 K and at pressures up to 60 MPa. The expanded uncertainties of thermal conductivity, pressure, and temperature measurements at the 95% confidence level with a coverage factor of k = 2 were estimated to be 2%, 0.05%, and 30 mK, respectively. The thermal conductivity data for RP-1 reported in this work do not include the correction to radiation. Therefore, the uncertainty of the data is larger than 2%. The onset of the effects of thermal decomposition (chemical reaction) on the thermal conductivity of RP-1 at temperatures was found above approximately 650 K. The measured values of thermal conductivity were compared with the data reported in the literature and with the values calculated from a correlation equation. The average absolute deviation (AAD) between the present data and the values reported in the literature was 1.0%. An empirical model was developed to predict the thermal conductivity of RP-1 (within 2.0%) with just the thermal conductivity values as a function of pressure at reference temperature T0 = 293 K, λ0(P), as input.