Ignition and Puffing Characteristics of Kerosene Droplets with Addition of Boron Particles and Water/Ethanol Under Sub-Atmospheric Pressure

Jie Huang, Hongkun Lv, Jing Nie (), Liwei Ding, Xinrui Xiong, Kang Zhang, Jiaying Chen, Zhenya Lai and Zhihua Wang
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Jie Huang: State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Research Institute, Hangzhou 310014, China
Hongkun Lv: State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Research Institute, Hangzhou 310014, China
Jing Nie: School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Hangzhou 310018, China
Liwei Ding: State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Research Institute, Hangzhou 310014, China
Xinrui Xiong: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Kang Zhang: State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Research Institute, Hangzhou 310014, China
Jiaying Chen: State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Research Institute, Hangzhou 310014, China
Zhenya Lai: State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Research Institute, Hangzhou 310014, China
Zhihua Wang: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: To address the problems of the reduced evaporation rate and increased ignition time of kerosene droplets at sub-atmospheric pressures and high temperatures, boron and ethanol/water were selected as additives to be blended with RP-3 kerosene, respectively. The effects of different types of blended fuels on the evaporation, micro-explosion, and spontaneous ignition characteristics of RP-3 kerosene droplets were tested and compared using an independently designed, high-temperature, controlled-pressure experimental droplet system. A low-pressure environment (0.4 bar) promoted the high-intensity micro-explosion of RP-3/B and RP-3/water/ethanol droplets while reducing the number of puffing events. A comparative study of RP-3/B and RP-3/ethanol/water found that ethanol/water blended fuels had a higher micro-explosion intensity (1000–10,000 vs. 0.2–15 mm/s) and shorter droplet lifetimes and self-ignition times at low pressure. The 30%water fuel (30 vol.%water in water/ethanol sub-droplet) had the shortest ignition/breakup time, with an ignition time of 0.5715 s at 0.8 bar, 26.92% shorter than RP-3’s 0.782 s. This 30%water fuel mixture can increase the release rate of combustible vapors prior to ignition by inducing puffing and micro-explosions at high temperatures.

Keywords: micro-explosion; sub-atmospheric pressure; puffing; spontaneous ignition (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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