Improved thermal stability of paraffinic jet fuels using oxygen substituted hydrogen donors in the autoxidative and pyrolytic regimes

摘要

Conventional paraffin-based jet fuels tend to form undesirable peroxide triggered gums in the presence of oxygen in the autoxidative regime from 150 deg C to 350 deg C and high tendency to form free radicals when used as a coolant for surfaces reaching pyrolytic conditions above 400 deg C (1,2). Oxygen substituted antioxidants are added to the fuel to prevent gum formations in the autoxidative regime while hydrogen donors can be used to prevent thermal degradation of the jet fuel by capturing free radicals generated by pyrolytic cracking of the paraffinic compounds (3,4). However, traditional antioxidants may not prevent hydrogen donors from interacting with oxygen in the pyrolytic regime thus reducing the thermal stability of the jet fuel by prohibiting the hydrogen donors from stopping the free radical propagation reactions leading to solid deposits (5). Therefore, several oxygen substituted hydrogen donors, including alpha-tetralone and alpha-tetralol, have been tested on oxygen purged paraffinic jet fuel and related model compound using a flow reactor. Significant improvements in the ability of these modified hydrogen donors to withstand interaction with oxygen dissolved in the jet fuel were observed.