Effect of initial temperature and initial pressure on the lower explosion limit of aviation kerosene

The effect of initial temperature and initial pressure on lower explosion limit (LEL) of RP-3 aviation kerosene vapor was investigated experimentally. The experiments were conducted in an explosion limit equipment at initial temperature of 40-160 °C and initial pressure 100-160 kPa. In the temperature-pressure range studied, the LEL decreases with the increase of the initial temperature, while increases as the initial pressure increases. A correlation formula established in the present study can predict the experimental data well. A comparison of the temperature dependence and pressure dependence indicates that the LEL of RP-3 aviation kerosene vapor is mainly affected by the initial temperature. This guides people to pay more attention to the aspect of the heat transfer in the fuel tank of aircrafts avoiding the explosion risk caused by high temperature.