Combustion Gas Properties: Part III—Prediction of the Thermodynamic Properties of Combustion Gases of Aviation and Diesel Fuels

Empirical formulae are presented by means of which the specific heat, mean molecular weight, density, and specific heat ratio of aviation fuel-air and diesel fuel-air systems can be calculated as functions of pressure, temperature, equivalence ratio, and hydrogen-to-carbon atomic ratio of the fuel. The formulae have been developed by fitting the data from a detailed chemical equilibrium code to a functional expression. Comparisons of the results from the proposed formulae with the results obtained from a chemical equilibrium code have shown that the mean absolute error in predicted specific heat is 0.8 percent, and that for molecular weight is 0.25 percent. These formulae provide a very fast and easy means of predicting the thermodynamic properties of combustion gases as compared to detailed equilibrium calculations, and they are also valid for a wide range of complex hydrocarbon mixtures and pure hydrocarbons as well as aviation and diesel fuels.