FLAME LUMINOSITY OF METHANOL ADDITIVE FUEL MIXTURES/

Luminosity of pool fires from methanol/additive mixtures is investigat ed theoretically and experimentally. Phase diagrams of solutions are u sed to explain the transient behavior of flame luminosity of binary fu el mixtures. A model, based on solution theory, is developed to quanti fy the flame luminosity of methanol/additive binary fuel mixtures from the luminosities of the individual components and an interaction coef ficient. The theoretical results agree well with the experimental data . The luminosity of methanol/additive mixtures is found to be a functi on of the mixture's carbon/hydrogen (C/H) ratio. Flame luminosity incr eases with increasing mixture C/H ratio to a maximum (occurring around C/H = 0.35), and then decreases slightly beyond that point. Additives that form positive azeotropes with methanol and that have high C/H ra tio are found to be the best candidates for enhancing the luminosity o f methanol flames.