26 — C10 Fuel

Carbon-10 Catalytic Fuel

What It Is

C10 Fuel is Hardin Labs' high-performance synthetic hydrocarbon fuel engineered specifically for the hypersonic operating regime of the DART aircraft and the NVRT thruster's space-vacuum stage. The designation "C10" refers to the fuel's molecular base: a narrow-cut fraction of decane-family (C10H22) linear and branched hydrocarbons produced by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis from Biomethixon-derived syngas over a cobalt-Silixon-PDC catalyst. C10 is chosen over lighter or heavier hydrocarbons because decane provides the optimal balance of energy density, thermal stability as an endothermic cooling fuel, and vapor pressure for pressurized feed system design at hypersonic flight conditions.

Endothermic Cooling Function

The key performance differentiator of C10 versus conventional jet fuels is its endothermic cracking capability: at temperatures above 500 °C — which C10 reaches when used as a regenerative coolant in the NVRT nozzle and the DART aircraft's aerodynamic leading edges — C10 molecules undergo catalytic pyrolysis over the Silixon-PDC wall coating of the cooling channels, absorbing approximately 2.2 MJ/kg of heat in the endothermic cracking reaction. This "heat sink" capacity allows the fuel to cool structures from stagnation temperatures exceeding 1,200 °C down to acceptable material limits, simultaneously pre-heating the fuel to improve combustion efficiency. The cracked products — predominantly hydrogen, ethylene, and propylene — are then injected directly into the NVRT combustion chamber as the fuel-rich inner vortex stream, giving the cracking reaction a 100% energy recovery pathway.

Safety and Handling

C10 Fuel has a flash point above 52 °C and an autoignition temperature above 210 °C, making it significantly safer to store and handle than aviation gasoline, liquid hydrogen, or liquid methane while offering energy density approaching that of conventional kerosene. Its synthetic origin from Biomethixon syngas ensures batch-to-batch molecular consistency, eliminating the combustion variability that affects petroleum-derived jet fuels and enabling the NVRT's tight combustion stability tolerances to be reliably maintained across all flight envelopes.