A comprehensive review of the thermal cracking stability of endothermic hydrocarbon fuels

In the current design of hypersonic vehicle, endothermic hydrocarbon fuel (EHF), as a combustible coolant, can not only solve the thermal management problem of the engine, but also provide sufficient propulsion for the vehicle. Importantly, when the fuel passes through the cooling channel of the engine as a coolant, it will absorb excess heat through a thermal cracking chemical reaction, but the deposits formed during the heat exchange process will directly affect the operation safety of the vehicle. Therefore, the stability of thermal cracking is one of the key issues of endothermic hydrocarbon fuels. This paper reviews the research progress on the thermal cracking stability of endothermic hydrocarbon fuels, and introduces the thermal cracking mechanism of endo-thermic hydrocarbon fuels under thermal stress and the corresponding reaction dynamics. After that, different evaluation techniques (thermal cracking and deposition), as well as factors (physical and chemical factors) that affect the stability of thermal cracking of endothermic hydrocarbon fuels, were analyzed. Finally, the corre-sponding improvement methods for improving fuel heat sink and reducing deposition are summarized. This will help to design endothermic hydrocarbon fuels with high thermal cracking stability and further develop high-performance vehicle.

Automated summary

This paper summarizes the important role of endothermic hydrocarbon fuel (EHF) as a combustible coolant in the current design of hypersonic vehicles. EHF can solve the thermal management problem of the engine and provide sufficient propulsion for the vehicle. However, the deposits formed during the heat exchange process directly affect the operation safety of the vehicle. Therefore, the stability of thermal cracking is crucial for EHF. This paper reviews the research progress on the thermal cracking stability of EHF and introduces the thermal cracking mechanism and corresponding reaction dynamics. Various evaluation techniques and factors that affect the stability of thermal cracking are analyzed. The paper also summarizes the improvement methods for enhancing fuel heat sink and reducing deposition. This will facilitate the design of EHF with high thermal cracking stability and the development of high-performance vehicles.