Study on a Novel Methodology for Developing the Skeletal Mechanism of RP-3 Aviation Kerosene

An urgent requirement for high-precision numerical simulation of modern aero-engines is the development of a highly simplified and accurate reaction mechanism for aviation kerosene. However, there is still lack of a reduced mechanism that can effectively capture the low- and high-temperature characteristics of RP-3 aviation kerosene. In light of this, in this study, a novel methodology for developing skeletal mechanism by combining the detailed C₀-C₄ mechanism and C₅-C high-carbon molecular skeletal mechanism was proposed and applied. To construct the RP-3 skeletal mechanism, a surrogate fuel consisting of 54% n-dodecane, 22% 2,5-dimethylhexane, 14% 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, and 10% decalin was utilized. Based on the proposed methodology, a skeletal mechanism comprising 153 species and 858 reactions has been developed. Various combustion characteristics of each surrogate component and the RP-3 aviation kerosene, such as the ignition delay, concentration of material components, laminar flame, and NO emission, were examined to validate the developed mechanism. The proposed methodology in this study offers a novel approach to develop mechanisms for high-carbon fuels. Additionally, the developed skeletal mechanism serves as a foundation for the design and optimization of aero-engines.