Engineering Commons^™

Supercritical Pyrolysis Of 1-Methylnaphthalene, Michelle Somers Walker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fuels used in future high-speed jet aircraft will act as coolants to absorb excess heat produced by the engine, exposing the fuel to elevated temperatures and pressures beyond the fuel’s critical point before entering the combustion environment. Fuels used in this capacity are subject to pyrolysis reactions in the supercritical environment, forming polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and eventually carbonaceous solids, a disastrous effect for aircraft operation. Thus, it is important to understand how different components of jet fuel will react in the supercritical pyrolysis environment, particularly if their reactions will lead to PAH and/or carbonaceous solids. To better understand these …