Thermal stability of energetic hydrocarbon fuels for use in combined cycleengines

Greater ease of use and higher density make energetic hydrocarbon fuels an attractive alternative to cryogenic fuels. The use of high-energy hydrocarb ons in rocket and combined-cycle propulsion systems is being explored. In a ddition to its obvious use for propulsive purposes, fuel is used to cool sy stem structures regeneratively to temperatures commensurate with presently available materials. Fuel thermal stability unfortunately limits the use of hydrocarbon fuels. In the present contribution, the thermal stability of R P-1, JP-10, and quadricyclane is assessed using a system for thermal diagno stic studies. It is found that, whereas JP-10 and RP-1 exhibit reasonable t hermal stability, the highly strained quadricyclane rapidly degrades under high-pressure, condensed-phase thermal stress.