Microexplosion of an emulsified fuel droplet under microgravity (effects of fuel properties and water content on onset of microexplosion)

摘要

An experimental study was carried out on the microexplosion behavior of an emulsified fuel droplet under normal gravity and microgravity conditions. The waiting time for onset of microexplosion was measured for oil in water emulsions consisting of fuel and water with a small amount of surfactant. The fuels employed were a dodecane, a tetradecane and a hexadecane. The water content was varied from 10 ％ to 30 ％. The onset probability of microexplosion was discussed from the statistical point of view by using the weakest link destruction model. The results show that the distribution of the waiting time correlates with the Weibull distribution for all the emulsions tested. The Weibull distribution of the waiting time is classified as the wear out type in the initial heating period, and as the chance failure type in the constant temperature period. The onset rate of microexplosion increases exponentially with an increase in the superheat of water. The dependence of superheat of water on the onset rate of microexplosion is not influenced by the water content.