Fuel Composition and Performance Analysis of Endothermically Heated Fuels for Pulse Detonation Engines

Waste heat from a pulse detonation engine (PDE) was extracted via concentric, counter flow heat exchangers to produce supercritical pyrolytic conditions for JP-7 and JP-8 fuels. A sampling system and method was utilized to collect samples of reacted fuel to be extracted during steady state operation. Samples were collected over a range of heat exchanger exit temperatures from 820 K (1016 -F) to 940 K (1232 -F) and for two sets of heat exchangers, one set coated with zeolite catalyst and one set left uncoated. Variation in fuel mass flow rate required the calculation of heat addition as an alternate to heat exchanger exit temperature as the independent variable when comparing fuel decomposition and engine performance.