Combustion and microexplosion characteristics in droplets of kerosene with boron nanoparticles and 1-pentanol

Abstract

Boron-based nanofluid fuel demonstrates a high energy density due to the presence of B nanoparticles (BNPs). This paper presents a comprehensive study of nanofluid fuels composed of kerosene, 1-pentanol, and BNPs through both theoretical analysis and experimental investigation. The 1-pentanol not only possesses a high heat value and physical properties, such as density and viscosity, that are comparable to those of kerosene, but it also serves as an effective dispersing medium for BNPs. Furthermore, test results examining the impact of 1-pentanol content on the stability of BNPs show that a concentration of 10 vol% 1-pentanol significantly inhibits the contact and aggregation of BNPs and makes them stably dispersed in fuel. Single droplet combustion experiments demonstrate that the 10B/K90P10 sample exhibits the best all-around combustion characteristics with an ignition delay time of 35 ms and a liquid phase combustion rate of 1.5537 mm²/s. Finally, a mathematical model has been developed to analyze and validate the combustion performance of boron-based alcohol-containing nanofluid fuels. The predicted ignition delay time, liquid phase combustion rate, and microexplosion time are within acceptable limits of their experimental values. This work provides valuable insights for the research and application of boron-based alcohol-containing nanofluid fuels.