Effect of Pressure on Pyrolytic and Oxidative Coking of JP-10 in Near-Isothermal Flowing Reactor

Qian Zhang (), Maogang He (), Yabin Jin, Zizhen Huang, Tiantian Xu and Long Li
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Qian Zhang: College of Energy and Architecture, Xihang University, Xi’an 710077, China
Maogang He: Key Laboratory of Thermo-Fluid Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Yabin Jin: College of Energy and Architecture, Xihang University, Xi’an 710077, China
Zizhen Huang: College of Energy and Architecture, Xihang University, Xi’an 710077, China
Tiantian Xu: College of Energy and Architecture, Xihang University, Xi’an 710077, China
Long Li: College of Energy and Architecture, Xihang University, Xi’an 710077, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 19, 1-15

Abstract: JP-10 (exo-tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene) is a high-energy-density hydrocarbon broadly used in advanced aerospace propulsion as a regenerative cooling fluid; in this study, we aimed to clarify how fuel pressure affects its thermal degradation (oxidative and pyrolytic) in near-isothermal flowing reactor. Experiments were performed under oxidative conditions (wall temperature 623.15 K, p = 0.708–6.816 MPa) and pyrolytic conditions (wall temperature 793.15 K, p = 2.706–7.165 MPa); carbon deposits were quantified by LECO analysis, oxidation activity was assessed by temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO), and morphology was performed by FESEM and EDS. Results show that oxidative coking is minimal (5.37–14.95 μg·cm 2 ) and largely insensitive to pressure in the liquid phase (1.882–6.816 MPa), whereas at 0.708 MPa (gas/phase-change conditions), deposition increases, implicating phase and local heat-transfer effects. Under oxidative conditions, deposits are predominantly amorphous carbon with a disordered structure, formed at relatively low temperatures, with only a few fiber-like metal sulfides identified by EDS. In contrast, under pyrolysis conditions, the deposits are predominantly carbon nanotubes, exhibiting well-defined tubular morphology formed at elevated temperatures via metal-catalyzed growth. The pyrolysis coking yield is substantially higher (66.88–221.89 μg·cm −2 ) and increases with pressure. The findings imply that the pressure influences the coking of JP-10 via phase state under oxidative conditions and residence time under pyrolytic conditions, while basic morphologies of coke deposits remain similar; operationally, maintaining the working pressure higher than the saturated vapor pressure can mitigate oxidation coking associated with phase transitions, and minimizing residence time can mitigate pyrolytic coking.

Keywords: JP-10; pyrolysis; coking; oxidation; pressure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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