Promotion and mechanism of action of EtOH addition on the energy release characteristics of B/JP-10 suspension fuel

Abstract

B/JP-10 suspension fuel is a novel energetic blended fuel with high application prospects, but it suffers from incomplete energy release in the actual combustion process. In this study, B/EtOH/JP-10 suspension fuels with different EtOH contents were prepared by a two-step method. The ignition and combustion characteristics were investigated using a CO2 laser ignition test system. The focus is on the effect of EtOH addition on the fragmentation process and energy release of boron agglomerates. The results show that the addition of EtOH changes the ignition pattern of B/JP-10 suspension fuel and thus shortens its ignition delay, and the ignition delay of fuel droplets decreases with increasing EtOH content when the EtOH content is >31.2 wt%. During the combustion process, on the one hand, EtOH will strengthen the droplet's own “microburst” in the early stage of combustion, transporting JP-10 vapor and active boron to the oxygen-rich zone, thus improving the utilization of oxygen around the droplet; on the other hand, after the agglomerates are formed, EtOH will gradually break the agglomerates and transport active boron outward, promoting the contact between active boron and oxygen and finally improving the overall energy release efficiency of the fuel.