Fluid Mechanics & Internal Ballistics Division, Propulsion Group, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum-695 022, India E-mail : ddeepak@vsnl.net Fax: 91-471-562060 Manuscript received 17 December 2002 Greater ease of use and higher density make hydrocarbon fuels an attractive option for hypersonic space transport vehicle. In addition to use of fuel for propulsive purpose, it is used for regenerative cooling of system structures. In order to achieve maximum heat sink, endothermic reactions of

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... the hydrocarbon fuels must be employed to augme-nt fuel enthalpy. This should provide cooling sufficient to allow flight in the range of Mach 4-10 at optimum altitude. For a hydrocarbon fuel blend to be suitable for the hypersonic vehicle it should selectively pursue the most beneficial endothermic reaction for optimum cooling and the reaction products should have high combustion intensity under ramjet and scramjet engine conditions. The problem of formation of deposits/coke by hydrocarbons at higher temperature needs to be resolved. The issues for the development of hydrocarbon fuel for hypersonic vehicle are highlighted in this paper.