Space Station discovery could lead to cleaner, more efficient engines.
During a series of remote-controlled experiments on-board the International Space Station, a team of researchers revealed new chemistry of ‘cool flames’. The discovery could lead to improved internal combustion engines here on Earth
After igniting a droplet of heptane fuel in a sealed FLEX chamber, the scientists saw a conventional flame which burned for a short time before extinguishing. It was then replaced by a prolonged period of cool flame burning which, although invisible to cameras and the naked eye, was able to be detected by diagnostic equipment on the space lab.
This invisible flame could have implications for vehicle engines, allowing fuel to be burnt at a lower temperature using a homogenous-charge compression ignition process. This would mean reduced pollution, not least because toxins created by the initial combustion are burnt-off by the cool flame. Engine efficiency would also be enhanced.
The discovery was made by Forman Williams, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of California, San Diego who said in a statement; “We observed something that we didn’t think could exist.”
The challenge is now to develop the right mix of fuels to generate cool flame combustion on Earth. To investigate, NASA is planning a new series of experiments called the Cool Flame Investigation and is due to start late 2015.