Effect of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and ferric chloride on hypergolic ignition of solidified ethanol fuels

IF 5.8 2区工程技术 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Combustion and Flame Pub Date : 2025-03-20 DOI:10.1016/j.combustflame.2025.114126

Jerin John , Purushothaman Nandagopalan , Ankur Miglani , Pranay Mudaliar , Seung Wook Baek

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This study investigates the hypergolic ignition of reaction-driven solidified ethanol (RDSE) fuels, focusing on the effects of varying concentrations of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) gellant and ferric chloride (FeCl₃) dopant. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) are employed to examine molecular interactions and thermal properties. FTIR results indicate that no new covalent bonds are formed upon adding FeCl₃, whereas interactions primarily governed by weak hydrogen and ionic bonds. The apparent activation energy (

E_{a}

) has been determined for the fuel samples using iso-conversional model-free kinetics approach and found that

E_{a}

decreased with HPMC and FeCl₃ concentrations. Hypergolic ignition delay tests were attempted with the droplet study rocket grade hydrogen peroxide (90 % RGHP; H₂O₂) as an oxidizer, demonstrated that increasing HPMC concentration by 3 wt.% reduced ignition delay by ∼20 %, while a 5 wt.% increase in FeCl₃ concentration led to a ∼25 % reduction. Higher fuel temperatures enhanced the wetting and spreading behavior of H₂O₂ droplets, improving oxidizer-fuel interaction and reducing ignition delay. Overall, solidification of ethanol using HPMC with FeCl₃ eliminates the catalyst as FeCl₃ acts as both catalyst and binding agent.

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来源期刊

Combustion and Flame 工程技术-工程：化工

CiteScore

9.50

自引率

20.50%

发文量

631

审稿时长

3.8 months

期刊介绍： The mission of the journal is to publish high quality work from experimental, theoretical, and computational investigations on the fundamentals of combustion phenomena and closely allied matters. While submissions in all pertinent areas are welcomed, past and recent focus of the journal has been on: Development and validation of reaction kinetics, reduction of reaction mechanisms and modeling of combustion systems, including: Conventional, alternative and surrogate fuels; Pollutants; Particulate and aerosol formation and abatement; Heterogeneous processes. Experimental, theoretical, and computational studies of laminar and turbulent combustion phenomena, including: Premixed and non-premixed flames; Ignition and extinction phenomena; Flame propagation; Flame structure; Instabilities and swirl; Flame spread; Multi-phase reactants. Advances in diagnostic and computational methods in combustion, including: Measurement and simulation of scalar and vector properties; Novel techniques; State-of-the art applications. Fundamental investigations of combustion technologies and systems, including: Internal combustion engines; Gas turbines; Small- and large-scale stationary combustion and power generation; Catalytic combustion; Combustion synthesis; Combustion under extreme conditions; New concepts.