• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.1-9
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• 2011

Researches on hypersonic aircraft technologies have been carried out to increase flight speeds. However, increase in flight speeds causes heat loads that could lead structural change of aircraft's component. Researches on cooling technologies using endothermic fuels are progressing in the USA, France and Russia to treat the heat loads. Endothermic fuels are liquid hydrocarbon aircraft fuels which are able to absorb the heat loads by undergoing endothermic reactions, such as thermal and catalytic cracking. In this study, methylcyclohexane, n-octane, and n-dodecane were selected as model endothermic fuels and experiments in endothermic properties were implemented. Experimental conditions were supercritical condition of each model fuels in which actual endothermic fuels were exposed. The object of this study is to identify endothermic properties of the model endothermic fuels and to predict endothermic properties of actual fuels such as kerosene fuels.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.279-286
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• 2010

Hypersonic aircraft technologies have been developed with increase in flight speeds. As hypersonic flight speeds increase, heat loads on an aircraft and it's engine increase. Researches on cooling technologies using endothermic fuels are progressing in the USA, France, and Russia to treat the heat loads. Endothermic fuels are liquid hydrocarbon aircraft fuels which are able to absorb the heat loads by undergoing endothermic reactions, such as thermal and catalytic cracking. In this study, methylcyclohexane, n-octane, and n-dodecane were selected as model endothermic fuels and experiments in endothermic properties were implemented. Experimental conditions were supercritical phase of each model fuels in which actual endothermic fuels were exposed. The object of this study is to identify endothermic properties of the model endothermic fuels and to predict endothermic properties of actual fuels such as kerosene fuels.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.93-96
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• 2009

Advances in high speed flight technologies and engine efficiencies increase heat load on the aircraft. As the temperature of air flow is too high to cool the structure at hypersonic flight speeds, it is necessary to utilize the aircraft fuel as the primary coolant. By undergoing endothermic reaction, such as thermal decomposition or catalytic decomposition, aircraft fuels have heat sink potential. These fuels are called endothermic fuels. The endothermic reaction can be improved by catalysts, but limited by coke deposition. In this study the essential technologies of endothermic fuels are described, and intended to be used for basic research.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.71-79
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• 2010

As hypersonic flight speeds and engines efficiencies increase, heat loads on an aircraft and it's engine increase. Because the temperature of the air flow is too high to cool the aircraft structure at hypersonic flight speeds, it is essential to use the aircraft fuel as the primary coolant. Endothermic fuels are liquid hydrocarbon aircraft fuels which are able to absorb the heat loads by undergoing endothermic reactions, such as thermal and catalytic cracking. The endothermic reactions are improved by catalysts which change the extent of reaction and product distribution. At high temperature, liquid hydrocarbons would lead to coke formation that can reduce the effectiveness of heat exchanger and cause rapid degradation of the catalyst, thus endothermic capacity of endothermic fuels is limited to the temperature at which coke doesn't form. In this study, the essential cooling technologies by applying endothermic fuels and the properties of the endothermic fuels are described.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.346-357
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• 2008

Endothermic fuels are known as a probable fuel for hypersonic atmospheric flight vehicles and advanced propulsion systems, as well as cryogenic fuels. Especially, from the standpoint of the advanced regenerative cooling use, they are quite useful as a coolant fuel because of their large heat sink due to their chemical decompositions; so-called endothermic cooling effect. However, no heat transfer equations have been proposed taking into account such endothermic reactive behaviors concretely. This paper describes an analytical method for evaluation of the heat transfer rates between endothermic reacting coolant fuel and coolant-side wall in the regenerative cooling passages. Heat transfer mechanism is indicated based on a classical transport-phenomenological approach. A new relational expression of Nusselt number ratio for forcedconvective heat transfer with such endothermic reactions is also proposed by theoretical approaches using some classical hypotheses. Its applicability is assessed provisionally by comparison with confirmed results of heated tube tests for supercritical JP-7 fuel carried out at NASA Lewis Research Center, using its heat sink characteristics evaluated by United Technologies Research Center(UTRC). As a result, it has been suggested that the proposed relational equation is applicable to the evaluation of enhancement of Nusselt numbers due to such reactions in developed turbulent flows such as in the regenerative cooling passages.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.98-109
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• 2021

Fundamental parameters describing overall operational characteristics of active cooling systems of a hypersonic flight vehicle are mainly classified into endothermic hydrocarbon fuels, regenerative cooling channels, and materials and system structures. Of primary importance is the improvement of endothermic performance of hydrocarbon aviation fuels in a series of studies developing efficient regenerative cooling systems. In a previous study, therefore, an extensive technical analysis has been carried out on thermal decomposition characteristics of liquid hydrocarbon fuels. As a subsequent study, catalytic cracking and steam reforming technologies have been reviewed to find a way for the improvement of endothermic reaction performance of hydrocarbon aviation fuels.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.113-126
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• 2021

In order to develop active cooling systems for a hypersonic cruise vehicle, a series of studies need to be preceded on regenerative cooling technologies by using endothermic reaction of liquid hydrocarbon aviation fuels. Among them, it is essential to scrutinize fluid flow/heat transfer/endothermic pyrolysis characteristics of supercritical hydrocarbons in a micro-channel, as well as to acquire thermophysical properties of hydrocarbon fuels in a wide range of temperature and pressure conditions. This study, therefore, reviewed those technologies and analyzed major findings in related research areas which have been carried out worldwide for the development of efficient operational regenerative cooling systems of a hypersonic flight vehicle.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.81-87
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• 2018

In hypersonic aircraft, increase of aerodynamic and engine heat lead thermal load in airframe. It could lead structural change of aircraft's component and malfunctioning. Endothermic fuels are liquid hydrocarbon fuels which absorb the heat load by undergoing endothermic reactions. In this study, we investigated the relationship between product, coke formation and catalytic properites of endothermic catalysts by using exo-tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene as a fuel in a fixed bed flow reactor similar to the actual reaction conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.10-15
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• 2014

For hypersonic aircraft, increase of flight speeds causes heat loads that are from aerodynamic heat and engine heat. The heat loads could lead structural change of aircraft's component and malfunctioning. Endothermic fuels are liquid hydrocarbon fuels which are able to absorb the heat loads by undergoing endothermic reactions, such as thermal and catalytic cracking. In this study, methylcyclohexane was selected as a model endothermic fuel and experiments on endothermic properties were implemented. To improve heat of endothermic reaction, we applied zeolites and confirmed that HZSM-5 was the best catalyst for the catalytic performance. The objective is to investigate catalytic effects for heat sink improvement. The catalyst could be applied to system that use kerosene fuel as endothermic fuel.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.56-60
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• 2017

In hypersonic aircraft, increase of aerodynamic heat and engine heat leads heat loads in airframe. It could lead structural change of aircraft's component and malfunctioning. Endothermic fuels are liquid hydrocarbon fuels which are able to absorb the heat load by undergoing endothermic reactions. In this study, exo-tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene was selected as a model endothermic fuel and experiments were investigated in endothermic fuel cooling system with zeolite catalyst. Three shapes of catalysts have been manufactured and endothermic characteristics were recovered. Bineded catalyst showed higher heat absorption and conversion than other two zeolite catalysts. In product distribution, binded catalyst showed higher aromatics composition.