Study on surrogate model fuel and a methodology for developing skeletal mechanism for RP-3 aviation kerosene

An RP-3 aviation kerosene surrogate model fuel capable of both physical and chemical surrogate was proposed. The surrogate model fuel was composed of n-dodecane, 2, 5-dimethylhexane, 1, 3, 5-trimethylbenzene and decalin, their molar fractions were 0.54, 0.22, 0.14 and 0.1, respectively. To overcome the limitations of existing skeletal mechanism construction methods, an approach was developed, leading to the successful establishment of a high-precision skeletal mechanism containing 153 species and 858 reactions. Through systematic validation, it was demonstrated that the proposed surrogate model fuel accurately predicted the physicochemical behavior of RP-3 fuel, including physical properties (density, viscosity, and spray penetration distance) and fundamental combustion characteristics (ignition delay time, species concentration evolution, laminar flame propagation, and NO emissions). Additionally, numerical simulations confirmed that the spray combustion and ignition processes of RP-3 fuel in a constant-volume combustion chamber at ambient temperatures of 853, 898 K, and 923 K can be effectively replicated, fully verifying its physical and chemical surrogate capabilities. This study could provide valuable insights into the development of high-carbon surrogate model fuel formulations and skeletal mechanisms.