An Overview of Investigations on Gel Fuels for Ramjet Applications

Abstract

Gel fuels are interesting candidates for ramjet propulsion systems due to their performance, safety and handling benefits. The addition of metal particles such as aluminum or boron offers the possibility to increase the flight performances due to their high volumetric energy content. On the other hand, in comparison to typically used Newtonian liquid fuels, significant differences in flow, atomization and combustion behavior exist. The paper presents a survey of various studies on main aspects of gel propulsion, i.e. rheology, sedimentation, flow properties, spray behavior, single droplet combustion and spray combustion and concentrates in investigations conducted by the research groups of the authors