SourceTB 26-04 Updates and Modernization of NASA’s Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA) Code
Engineers can now perform large-scale propulsion trade studies much faster using modern programming languages. It also enables analysis of next-generation fuels, including green propellants and sustainable aviation fuels.
- Modernized legacy procedural Fortran CEA2 code into Fortran 2008 with object-oriented data structures, stricter typing, and thread-safe solver architecture
- Introduced subroutine interfaces supporting Python, C, MATLAB, Excel, and Fortran for automated design pipelines and parametric sweeps
- Expanded thermodynamic database to include green propellant constituents (ADN, HAN, LMP-103S) and sustainable aviation fuel candidates (n-Butanol)
- Added modeling features including negative reactant amounts, inert hydrocarbon fuel representations (RP-1, Jet-A, JP-series), and analytic total derivatives
- Delivered an 800-fold runtime reduction for large multi-case parametric sweeps, completing 108,500 cases in 1.11 seconds compared to 15 minutes in CEA2
- Preserves backward compatibility with legacy command-line workflows and CEA input files