Abstract
High molecular weight (MW) polyisobutylenes were effective in suppressing flammability of Jet-A fuel sprays when present at concentrations of 100 ppm or less in the fuel. Six polyisobutylene solutes, with viscosity-average MW ranging from 0.7 to 12 million, were tested in wind-shear created fuel sprays against both spark and flame ignition sources. Air velocities up to 140 m/s and fuel/air mass ratios up to 10 were used to examine effects of spray conditions on solute concentrations necessary to prevent ignition. The effectiveness of the additives increased directly with their MW for both spark and flame ignition, with the higher-MW polymers providing flammability suppression at concentrations that caused less than 20 percent increases in fuel viscosity.
Notes
‡Present address: International Business Machines Corporation, San Jose, California 95120.
§Present address: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61803.