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An Experimental Comparison of the Emissions Characteristics of Standard Jet A-1 and Synthetic Fuels

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Abstract

Emissions characteristics of lean, turbulent, partially premixed swirled flames of synthetic fuels along with a standard Jet A-1 fuel are studied. The investigated synthetic fuels are (a) Fully synthetic jet fuel (FSJF), (b) Fischer Tropsch synthetic paraffinic kerosene (FT-SPK), (c) FT-SPK+20 % hexanol, and (d) FT-SPK+50 % naphthenic cut. The measurements are performed in a tubular combustor equipped with a burner based on the principle of air-blast atomization. The exhaust gas compositions are measured using a non-dispersive infrared gas analyzer for carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO), a flame ionization detector for unburned hydrocarbons (UHC), and a chemical luminescence detector for nitric oxides (NO and NO2). The emissions indices (EI) of CO and NOX of the investigated fuels are calculated using guidelines provided by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Measurements are performed at several combustor pressure levels, i.e., 0.3, 0.54 and 0.8 MPa, to compare the emissions behavior of the investigated fuels at varied operating conditions. At 0.3 MPa of combustor pressure, the order of fuels with their increasing formation of NOX are FSJF, FT-SPK+20 % hexanol, Jet A-1, FT-SPK+50 % naphthenic cut and neat FT-SPK. Differences in the observed NOX formation behavior of the investigated fuels are attributed to their probable different degrees of mixing with air in the combustor. At 0.8 MPa, no significant differences in their emissions characteristics are observed due to very low absolute values; hence we report that at higher pressure conditions which prevail in the aero-engine combustion systems, the emissions characteristics of tested synthetic fuels are very close to that of standard Jet A-1 fuel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Combustion Technology, EBI, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, 76131, Germany

    Robbin Bhagwan, Peter Habisreuther & Nikolaos Zarzalis

  2. Avio S.p.A., Rivalta di Torino, Torino, Italy

    Fabio Turrini

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  1. Robbin Bhagwan
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  2. Peter Habisreuther
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  3. Nikolaos Zarzalis
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  4. Fabio Turrini
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Correspondence to Robbin Bhagwan.

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Bhagwan, R., Habisreuther, P., Zarzalis, N. et al. An Experimental Comparison of the Emissions Characteristics of Standard Jet A-1 and Synthetic Fuels. Flow Turbulence Combust 92, 865–884 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10494-014-9528-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10494-014-9528-6

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