The Design of an Ultra-High-Pressure Jet-Stirred Reactor for the Study of Supercritical Pressure Combustion Kinetics

Orem, UT

This research addresses the critical gap in understanding fuel oxidation under supercritical pressure conditions, where conventional kinetic models fail due to binary collision assumptions and ideal gas thermodynamics. A novel ultra-high-pressure jet-stirred reactor (UHP-JSR) is developed to enable controlled combustion experiments up to 300 atm with non-equilibrium residence time. This paper follows the experimental design and fabrication of novel and complex components used to create the UHP-JSR, including a quartz turbulent inducing core, precise heating elements, and a unique entry chamber and multi-element feedthrough. A sampling piston is also designed and fabricated to sample reaction products effectively. Finally, plans for research following the fabrication of the UHP-JSR are discussed.