Numerical Investigation of Pyrolytic Coking and Its Effects on Heat Transfer of RP-3

Hydrocarbon fuels are extensively employed as coolants in the regenerative cooling systems of scramjet engines. However, the pyrolytic coking of hydrocarbon fuels at high temperatures introduces complex adverse effects on the flow and cooling processes. In this study, a numerical model was developed to investigate the coupling processes of fluid flow, heat transfer, pyrolysis and pyrolytic coking in the heated tube, under both a constant outer wall heat flux of 1.8 MW/m² and a constant outer wall temperature of 1150 K. The multi-step pyrolytic reaction mechanism and the kinetic coking model were applied to simulate the pyrolytic coking processes of RP-3. The results reveal that the amounts of catalytic coking and lateral growth exhibit significant differences in magnitude, as well as in their spatial and temporal variations. Under a constant outer wall heat flux, coking evidently increases the outer wall temperature and thermal resistance, leading to a narrowed flow passage and a reduction in the residence time and RP-3 conversion rate. Under a constant outer wall temperature, coking decreases the heat absorption flux, resulting in a lower fluid temperature, which primarily affects the efficiency of the endothermic pyrolytic reaction. The results obtained in this research can provide practical insights for the development of regenerative cooling technology.