TH-dimer, also called tetrahydromethylcyclopentadiene dimer or RJ-4, is a synthetic jet fuel used in jet engines for missiles. RJ-4 was originally developed for the ramjet engine on RIM-8 Talos naval surface-to-air missile.
The fuel is non-volatile, so it is safe to use on ships or submarines. It has a high flash point minimum of 60 °C (140 °F).
Chemically, TH-dimer is a mixture of isomeric saturated hydrocarbons derived from hydrogenation of the dimer of methylcyclopentadiene.
Bibliography
- Schmidt, Eckart W. (2022a). "Tetrahydrodimethyldicyclopentadiene". Cycloaliphatic Hydrocarbons. Encyclopedia of Liquid Fuels. De Gruyter. pp. 1273–1275. doi:10.1515/9783110750287-015. ISBN 978-3-11-075028-7.
- Schmidt, Eckart W. (2022b). "Ramjet Fuel RJ-4". Ramjet Fuels. Encyclopedia of Liquid Fuels. De Gruyter. pp. 4455–4458. doi:10.1515/9783110750287-037. ISBN 978-3-11-075028-7.
References
Naval Submarine Base New London http://www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/sites/newlondon/213051.pdf ↩
Schmidt 2022b, p. 4456. - Schmidt, Eckart W. (2022b). "Ramjet Fuel RJ-4". Ramjet Fuels. Encyclopedia of Liquid Fuels. De Gruyter. pp. 4455–4458. doi:10.1515/9783110750287-037. ISBN 978-3-11-075028-7. https://doi.org/10.1515%2F9783110750287-037 ↩
"Modern US Military Turbine Missile Fuel Specifications". Archived from the original on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2006-09-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20120205193858/http://purvisbros.com/afi/modernmilturbinemissle.htm ↩
US 4177217, Janoski, Edward J.; Mitchell, Richard E.; Schneider, Abraham, "Continuous conversion of dimethyldicyclopentadiene to endo-dimethyldicyclopentadiene, a missile fuel", issued 1979 https://worldwide.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=US4177217 ↩