SGER: Volatility Correlations in Blended Hydrocarbon Fuels

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ABSTRACTProposal Number: CTS-0535791Principal Investigator: Ashford, MarcusAffiliation: University of AlabamaProposal Title: SGER: Volatility Correlations in Blended Hydrocarbon FuelsThe proposal was received as an unsolicited submission to the Chemical and Transport Systems Division in the Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER) category and was subsequently funded by the Thermal Transport and Thermal Processing Sub-element of the Thermal Systems Program. The goal of project is to establish correlations between the boiling characteristics (in contact with a surface) of a gasoline-like fuel and that fuel's volatility. Volatility describes how much of a fuel will vaporize at a given temperature and pressure. The environmental implications of this research are considerable: hydrocarbon fuels are a major global energy source. The transportation sector alone produces almost half of nationwide emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC), hydrocarbons that include carcinogens, acute toxins and precursors to smog formation. Automobiles and light trucks depend almost exclusively on combustion engine powerplants that consume liquid hydrocarbon blended fuels, which must be vaporized prior to combustion. Fueling imprecision caused by improper prediction of fuel vaporization is responsible for virtually all tailpipe VOC emissions from automobile engines. This research will lead to more intimate knowledge of the fuel's vaporization characteristics, facilitating precise fueling and significant emissions reductions.