2017 Volume 65 Issue 2 Pages 41-46
Endothermic fuel (EF) has extreme cooling capability and is useful for removing large heat flux. In particular, it has attracted attention as a fuel for hypersonic vehicles. Compared to liquid hydrogen, endothermic hydrocarbon fuels have some advantages from a practical viewpoint; they are not cryogenic fluids and have a higher density. In this study, the pyrolysis characteristic of methylcyclohexane (MCH) as a model compound of EF was experimentally investigated with Ni, Ni/SiO2 and Pt/Al2O3 as catalysts. It was found that an effective endothermic reaction was promoted at 500--600K with Pt/Al2O3. Ni/SiO2 also promoted endothermic reaction at a higher temperature (>600K). A simple analysis on a regenerative cooling of a rocket engine showed that a small amount of MCH with a Pt/Al2O3 catalyst effectively cooled a rocket chamber.
