Irvine : U.S. Gives $1.3 Million for Jet Fuel Study at UCI

A UC Irvine researcher, supported by more than $1.3 million in federal funding, is studying cost-effective ways for jet engines to use abundant U.S. fuels such as coal and shale.

The study could lead to breakthroughs enabling the United States to be less dependent on foreign oil imports.

G. S. (Scott) Samuelsen, chairman of the campus’s mechanical engineering department, is using advance laser technology in his fuel research.

“With lasers we can see for the first time the reactions that occur inside an engine during combustion,” Samuelsen said. “As a result, we now know that two key factors determining soot formation are the processes of air and fuel mixing inside the combustor and the performance of the engine nozzle.”

Samuelsen said a major problem in burning low-quality fuel in jet engines is the high level of soot. Soot particles are harmful both to the environment and to the engine.