On August 12, scientists at Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) validated a physical model of a physicochemical process that could lead to the development of a new gel-like fuel for the aerospace industry. According to the university's press service, this new fuel is expected to outperform existing fuels in energy, operational, and environmental performance.

Self-igniting fuels are widely used in aerospace, underwater gas generators, emergency launch systems, and propulsion systems requiring instantaneous ignition without external energy for prolonged heating. The main characteristic of such fuel systems is spontaneous ignition upon contact between fuel and oxidizer, offering convenience but demanding high safety and controllability in the combustion process.

Using tetramethylethylenediamine (fuel) and high-concentration nitric acid (oxidizer) as examples, TPU researchers developed a physical model that precisely describes the sequence and mechanism of ignition in the fuel system. In laboratory experiments, researchers accounted for the energy of droplet collisions and varied the injection height of fuel droplets.

The study aimed to investigate changes in the physical characteristics of interacting components in fuel systems when the oxidizer, fuel, or both are in gel form. Laboratory research has yielded extensive data, which will serve as a basis for predicting similar processes in self-igniting fuel systems with gel components.

Project manager and Associate Professor Olga Vysokomornaya from the Research School of High-Energy Physics stated that the results clarify the fundamental laws of ignition in self-igniting fuels. To apply these laws to real power plant operating conditions, conservation laws must be carefully verified during parameter scaling of self-igniting systems, which is crucial for maintaining controllable, safe, and efficient combustion processes.

The research involved scientists from TPU's Research School of High-Energy Physics and School of Energy & Power Engineering, supported by the Russian Science Foundation. The findings were published in the Journal of Aerospace Engineering (Q1, impact factor: 3.3).