The Fuel Science group conducts experimental and computational research in the areas of jet fuel thermal stability, jet fuel cold-flow improvement, fuel additives, fuel autoxidation, chemical kinetics and computational fluid dynamics of fuel oxidation and deposition, molecular modeling of alkane/fuel crystallization, aircraft fuel system operation at low temperature, fuel chemical analysis, chemical analysis of additives, fuel solid-liquid equilibria, fuel instrumental analysis, and biological contamination of fuel.

Our one-of-a-kind facilities include the following capabilities: quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) systems for measuring fuel deposition, oxidation, and the affect of additives; various gas chromatographic systems with atomic emission, mass spectrometric, and flame ionization detection; high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with uv-vis absorption, electrochemical, and refractive index detection; scanning Brookfield viscometry; low temperature optical microscopy; differential scanning calorimetry; solid-phase extraction techniques for preseparation of fuel components; computational molecular modeling and molecular dynamics; development of pseudo-detailed chemical kinetic models; various thermal oxidation and pyrolysis fuel heat exchangers; total carbon analyzer; and direct PCR analysis of biological contaminant organisms.

Capabilities:

• Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)
• Pseudo-detailed chemical kinetics of fuel oxidation and deposition
• Low-temperature fuel property laboratory
• Chemical analysis of fuels and fuel additives
• Development of fuels additives
• Biological contamination of fuels