The effect of the molecular weight of additive on the properties of antimisting fuels
Antimisting aircraft fuels, when ignited, do not produce the roaring fireball which often accompanies aircraft crashes. This result is attributable to the suppression of the aerosolization of the fuel by added macromolecules which alter the structure of the droplets of fuel emanating from rent fuel tanks after the crash. The first studies of the antimisting effect of macromolecules on aviation fuel were carried out in Great Britain in 1968. In that early work it was established that there was a qualitative relationship between the suppression of the atomization of the fuel and the molecular weight of the additive above a certain critical concentration; the latter being inverse to the molecular weight of the additive. Subsequent investigations have demonstrated a dependence of the antimisting effectiveness of polyisobutylene in diesel fuel on the viscosity average molecular weight to a power exceeding 2, and in jet-A fuel to the 2..cap alpha.. + 1 power, where ..cap alpha.. is the exponent in the Mark-Houwink equation. In their study Chao et al, were able to demonstrate a strong correlation between the extent of antimisting effectiveness and flammability reduction with the maximum ductless siphon height supported by the solution. They introduced the ductless siphon to the study of antimisting fuels as a measure of the elongational viscosity impaired by the macromolecules to the fuel.
- Research Organization:
- General Technology Applications, Inc., Arlington, Virginia
- OSTI ID:
- 6570732
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-830814-
- Journal Information:
- Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Pet. Chem., Prepr.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Pet. Chem., Prepr.; (United States) Vol. 28:5; ISSN ACPCA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Effect of the molecular weight of additive on the properties of antimisting fuels
The effect of cryogrinding on the molecular weight of samples of polyisobutylene