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Technical Paper

High Heat Sink Fuels for Improved Aircraft Thermal Management

1993-07-01
932084
Aircraft subsystem and engine heat loads are increasing at a rapid rate.1 Fuel is used in integrated aircraft thermal management systems to cool aircraft subsystems and the engine lubricating oil. All current U. S. fighter aircraft circulate fuel on the airframe to match heat loads with available heat sink. Future aircraft will be required to circulate fuel in excess of that required for propulsive energy through the airframe and engine to assure component life and integrity. These thermal stresses push current fuels JP-4 and JP-8 to bulk fuel temperatures as high as 163°C at the inlet to the mainburner fuel nozzles and to wetted wall temperatures of 205°C inside the fuel nozzle passages.2 At these conditions, engine fuel nozzles, afterburner spray assemblies and manifolds are plugging, causing increased maintenance and cost. In some instances fuel degradation changes the spray pattern in the combustor or afterburner leading to damage to engine components.
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