Hydrocarbons Heterogeneous Pyrolysis: Experiments and Modeling for Scramjet Thermal Management

TL;DR

This paper presents experimental and kinetic modeling studies of hydrocarbon pyrolysis for scramjet thermal management, focusing on fuel decomposition under various conditions to improve regenerative cooling models.

Contribution

It develops comprehensive kinetic models of hydrocarbon thermal decomposition without considering material effects, validated by experiments with different steel types.

Findings

Successful development of kinetic models for hydrocarbon pyrolysis

Experimental validation with E37 and 316L steel materials

Enhanced understanding of fuel decomposition for hypersonic cooling

Abstract

The last years saw a renewal of interest for hypersonic research in general and regenerative cooling specifically, with a large increase of the number of dedicated facilities and technical studies. In order to quantify the heat transfer in the cooled structures and the composition of the cracked fuel entering the combustor, an accurate model of the thermal decomposition of the fuel is required. This model should be able to predict the fuel chemical composition and physical properties for a broad range of pressures, temperatures and cooling geometries. For this purpose, an experimental and modeling study of the thermal decomposition of generic molecules (long-chain or polycyclic alkanes) that could be good surrogates of real fuels, has been started at the DCPR laboratory located in Nancy (France). This successful effort leads to several versions of a complete kinetic model. These models do not assume any effect from the material that constitutes the cooling channel. A specific experimental study was performed with two different types of steel (regular: E37, stainless: 316L). Some results are given in the present paper.