Investigating soot formation in RP-3 combustion using numerical simulations and experimental validation

Abstract

RP-3 is the most widely used aviation fuel in China, and its consumption has increased significantly in recent years, being responsible for the release of considerable amounts of greenhouse gases and soot particles. Therefore, it is imperative to gain fundamental understanding of its burning behavior and design methodologies to achieve cleaner and more efficient combustion. This study presents an investigation into the capabilities of a tailored strategy for the kinetic modeling of the gas phase of RP-3 (HyChem) and its coupling with soot particle dynamics. A stagnation and coflow flame are used for simulating test cases using the CoFlame code, and compared to available experimental data about soot and flow characteristics. In burner stabilized stagnation flames, good agreement is observed between experiments and predictions of temperature profiles. For coflow flames, the model predicts soot volume fraction and flame height with good accuracy as compared to experimental data of an RP-3 flame, although the soot peak is slightly shifted towards the flame edge. Although the kinetic model was designed for RP-3, it also captures overall trends of soot production in a Jet A-1 flame. This approach demonstrates a reliable predictive capability for aviation fuel combustion and provides a basis for further refinement in the modeling of these complex fuels, with potential applications for cleaner combustion strategies.