Benzoyl peroxide enhancing the combustion of aluminum/JP-10-based nanofluid fuel droplets

BPO stabilizes oxidation of nAl and boosts heat release of Al/JP-10 nanofluid fuels. • Al@SP80@BPO prevents premature micro-explosions and stabilizes JP-10 combustion. • SP80 and BPO increase the maximum combustion intensity of Al/JP-10 nanofluid droplet. The combustion of Al/JP-10-based nanofluid fuels suffers from incomplete solid-phase combustion, which hinders the full energy release. To address this issue, benzoyl peroxide (BPO) was introduced to enhance the combustion performance. Thermal analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of BPO on the thermal oxidation behavior of aluminum nanoparticles (nAl), and the combined influence of the surfactant (SP80) and BPO on the combustion mechanism of Al/JP-10 nanofluid fuels was systematically investigated. The results indicate that BPO incorporation effectively stabilizes nAl oxidation and increases the heat release per unit mass. Furthermore, the high thermal conductivity and strong radiative absorption of nAl, SP80 accumulation at the droplet surfaces, and BPO decomposition followed by re-oxidation collectively govern combustion behavior. These factors produce a higher thermal expansion rate of droplets and more intense micro-explosions, along with longer combustion duration. More importantly, this study demonstrates that the interfacial distribution of SP80 and BPO around nAl governs the balance between heat transfer and chemical heat release, thereby affecting micro-explosion intensity, particle retention, and combustion stability. This interfacial-structure-based insight offers new guidance for the rational design of high-energy-density nanofluid fuels. Download: Download high-res image (299KB) Download: Download full-size image