Low temperature autoignition of Jet A and surrogate jet fuel

Abstract

An experimental study of the low-temperature and low-pressure autoignition of Jet A and surrogate fuels was conducted using the ASTM-E659 standardized test method. Two surrogate fuels (Aachen and JI mixtures), their individual components and two batches (POSF-4658 and POSF-10325) of standardized Jet A were tested using the ASTM-E659 method for a range of fuel concentrations and temperatures. The ignition behaviors were categorized into four distinct ignition modes. The individual hydrocarbon components had a wide range of ignition behaviors and minimum autoignition temperatures (AIT) values depending on the molecular structure. The two Jet A batches showed similar ignition behavior with measured AITs of 229 ± 3°C and 225 ± 3°C respectively. Both surrogates exhibited similar ignition behavior to Jet A with comparable AITs of 219 ± 3.1°C (Aachen) and 228 ± 3°C (JI) with the JI mixture proving to be a more suitable surrogate to Jet A in the low-temperature thermal ignition regime.