Measurements of Laminar Burning Velocities of Alternative Fuels: Application in Transport and Aerospace

The laminar burning velocity belongs to the fundamental combustion properties of fuels being a measure for their heat release, flame length, as well as reactivity and combustion stability, and thus, may impact the design of burners and combustion chambers. Also, these experimental data are needed for the validation and optimization within the construction and development of detailed chemical kinetic reaction mechanisms. Within this study, an overview of the different applications of fuel characterization regarding the specific area of interest (road transport, aviation, and aerospace) will be given. Depending on the application, effects of different molecular characteristics on the laminar burning velocity are evaluated: the presence of oxygen atoms and the grade of branching in a specific fuel molecule as well as the difference in the type of a chemical bond, here, single and double bonds. Examples of alternative fuels being discussed in the present study are: (I) oxymethylene ether (OMEn) in the field of road transport; (II) a paraffinic Alcohol-to-Jet fuel as sustainable aviation fuel; and (III) mixtures of ethane or ethene with nitrous oxide as green propellants for rocket propulsion applications.