Energy & Fuels is the premier journal for research in all areas of the chemistry of nonnuclear energy sources, including the properties and structure or molecular composition of both raw fuels and refined products.
In April, the journal selected a paper by MML researchers Stephanie Outcalt and Arno Laesecke among those contributions highlighted on the journal webpage. The paper reports "Measurements of Density and Speed of Sound of JP-10 and Comparison to Rocket Propellants and Jet Fuels" in a combined range from 270 K to 470 K with pressures to 30 MPa. Since JP-10 (C10H16, CAS number 2825-82-3) is a 96.5 % pure compound and not a complex mixture like most other fuels, Outcalt and Laesecke included a computational characterization of the molecular size, shape, and charge distribution in their study. This combination of experimental and computational methods is still rare but will become increasingly feasible with large gains in our understanding how molecular features are expressed in macroscopic thermophysical properties of engineering interest.
The paper by Outcalt and Laesecke is only one of the many contributions that have resulted from the highly successful fuels program in the Thermophysical Properties Division under the direction of Dr. Thomas J. Bruno.
Reference: Energy & Fuels 25(2011)3, 1132-1139
Contact: Stephanie Outcalt 303-497-5786, Arno Laesecke 303-497- 3197 or Tom Bruno 303-497-5158