Modelling of aviation kerosene droplet heating and evaporation using complete fuel composition and surrogates

A Discrete Component Model (DCM), based on the analytical solutions to heat transfer and species diffusion equations, together with the Abramzon-Sirignano model are applied to analyse the droplet heating and evaporation of Jet A kerosene and its surrogates. The models are implemented into MFSim code, which opens the way for modelling of the droplet heating and evaporation process alongside other spray processes. The composition of Jet A fuel used in the analysis, with 61 components split into 7 hydrocarbon groups, is described. This composition is approximated by twelve previously developed surrogates. The number of components in these surrogates varies between two and nine, which is expected to lead to a significant reduction in CPU requirements for calculation of droplet heating and evaporation, when compared to surrogates typically used to describe Jet A droplets. The prediction ability of the MFSim code, with new models implemented into it, is validated against available experimental results. The surrogates best able to predict droplet evaporation time and temperature of the Jet A fuel with 61 components are identified. It is shown that the number of terms in the series of analytical solutions for temperature and species mass fractions can be considerably reduced without affecting the accuracy of calculations.

Automated summary

The Discrete Component Model and Abramzon-Sirignano model were applied to analyze the droplet heating and evaporation of Jet A kerosene and its surrogates. By implementing the models into MFSim code, there is a significant reduction in CPU requirements for calculation, improving simulation efficiency.