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An aviation fuel truck.
An aviation fuel truck.
At some airports, underground fuel pipes allow refuelling without the need for tank trucks. Trucks just carry the necessary hoses and pressure apparatus, but no fuel.
At some airports, underground fuel pipes allow refuelling without the need for tank trucks. Trucks just carry the necessary hoses and pressure apparatus, but no fuel.

Aviation fuel is a specialized type of petroleum-based fuel used to power aircraft. Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit It is generally of a higher quality than fuels used in less critical applications such as heating or road transport, and often contains additives to reduce the risk of icing or explosion due to high temperatures, amongst other properties. Road transport ( British English) or road transportation ( American English) is Transport on Roads of passengers or goods

Most aviation fuels available for aircraft are kinds of petroleum spirit used in engines with spark plugs i. Petroleum ether, also known as benzine, VM&P Naphta, Petroleum Naphta, Naptha ASTM, Petroleum Spirits, benzine, X4 e. piston engines and Wankel rotaries or fuel for jet turbine engines which is also used in diesel aircraft engines. A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is a Heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating Pistons to convert The Wankel engine is a type of Internal combustion engine which uses a rotary design to convert pressure into a rotating motion instead of using reciprocating Alcohol, alcohol mixtures and other alternative fuels may be used experimentally but are not generally available.

Avgas is sold in much lower volumes, but to many more individual aircraft, whereas Jet fuel is sold in high volumes to large aircraft operated typically by airlines, military and large corporate aircraft. Avgas is a high-octane Aviation fuel used for Aircraft and Racing cars Avgas is a Portmanteau for aviation gasoline Jet fuel is a type of Aviation fuel designed for use in Aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines.

The Convention on International Civil Aviation, which came into effect in 1947, exempted air fuels from tax. The Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, established the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO a specialized Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Australia and the USA oppose a worldwide levy on aviation fuel, but a number of other countries have expressed interest. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Contents

Avgas

Main article: Avgas

Avgas is a high-octane fuel used for aircraft and racing cars. Avgas is a high-octane Aviation fuel used for Aircraft and Racing cars Avgas is a Portmanteau for aviation gasoline The octane rating is a measure of the resistance of Gasoline and other Fuels to Detonation ( Engine knocking) in spark-ignition Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, motor racing or car racing) is a Motorsport involving Racing Cars It The term Avgas is a portmanteau for aviation gasoline, as distinguished from mogas (motor gasoline), which is the everyday petroleum spirit used in cars. Petroleum ether, also known as benzine, VM&P Naphta, Petroleum Naphta, Naptha ASTM, Petroleum Spirits, benzine, X4 Avgas is typically used in aircraft that use reciprocating piston or Wankel engines. A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is a Heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating Pistons to convert The Wankel engine is a type of Internal combustion engine which uses a rotary design to convert pressure into a rotating motion instead of using reciprocating

Jet fuel

Main article: Jet fuel

Jet fuel is a clear to straw colored fuel, based on either an unleaded paraffin oil (Jet A-1), or a naphtha-kerosene blend (Jet B). Jet fuel is a type of Aviation fuel designed for use in Aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. In chemistry paraffin is the common name for the Alkane Hydrocarbons with the general formula C n H2 n +2 Naphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons i Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage is a Combustible Hydrocarbon liquid It is similar to diesel fuel, and can be used in either compression ignition engines or turbine engines. Diesel or Diesel fuel (ˈdiːzəl in general is any Fuel used in Diesel engines The most common is a specific fractional distillate of petroleum A diesel engine is an Internal combustion engine which operates using the Diesel cycle (named after Dr A turbine is a rotary Engine that extracts Energy from a Fluid flow

In use

Aviation fuel is often dispensed from a tanker or bowser which is driven up to parked aeroplanes and helicopters. A bowser is a generic name for a tanker of various kinds Water The term bowser is used by water companies in the United Kingdom to refer to mobile Overview Fixed-wing aircraft range from small training and recreational aircraft to Wide-body aircraft and military cargo aircraft. History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. Some airports have pumps similar to filling stations that aircraft must taxi up to. A filling station, fueling station, gas station, service station, petrol station, or gasbar, Retail Outlet Some airports also have permanent piping to parking areas for large aircraft.

Regardless of the method, aviation fuel is transferred to an aircraft via one of two methods: overwing and underwing. Overwing fuelling is used on smaller planes, helicopters, and all piston-engine aircraft. Overwing fuelling is similar to car fuelling — one or more fuel ports are opened and fuel is pumped in with a conventional pump. Underwing fuelling, also called single-point, is used on larger aircraft and for jet fuel exclusively. For single-point fuelling, a high-pressure hose is attached and fuel is pumped in at up to 50 PSI. The pound per square inch or more accurately pound-force per square inch (symbol psi or lbf/in² or lbf/in²) is a unit of Since there is only one attachment point, fuel distribution between tanks is either automated or it is controlled from a control panel at the fuelling point or in the cockpit. As well, a dead man's switch is used to control fuel flow. A dead man's switch (for other names see alternative names) as its name suggests is a switch that is automatically operated in case the Human operator becomes incapacitated

Because of the danger of confusing the fuel types, a number of precautions are taken to distinguish between AvGas and Jet Fuel beyond clearly marking all containers, vehicles, and piping. AvGas is treated with either a red, green, or blue dye, and is dispensed from nozzles with a diameter of 40 millimetres (49 millimetres in the USA). A nozzle is a mechanical device or Orifice designed to control the characteristics of a Fluid flow as it exits (or enters an enclosed chamber or Pipe. Geometry, a diameter of a Circle is any straight Line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose Endpoints are on the To help compare different Orders of magnitude this page lists lengths between 10&minus2 m and 10&minus1 m (1 cm and 10 cm The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The aperture on fuel tanks of piston-engined aircraft cannot be greater than 60 millimetres in diameter. Jet Fuel is clear to straw in colour, and is dispensed from a special nozzle called a "J spout" that has a rectangular opening larger than 60 millimetres in diameter so as not to fit into AvGas ports. However, some jet and turbine aircraft, such as some models of the Astar helicopter, have a fuelling port too small for the J spout and thus require a smaller nozzle to be installed in order to be refuelled efficiently.

Energy content

The net energy content for aviation fuels depends on their composition. The lower heating value (also known as net calorific value, net CV, or LHV) of a Fuel is defined as the amount of Heat released Some typical values are:[1]

Chemical composition

Aviation fuels consist of blends of over a thousand chemicals, primarily Hydrocarbons (paraffins, olefins, naphthenes, and aromatics) as well as additives such as antioxidants and metal deactivators, and impurities. In Organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an Organic compound consisting entirely of Hydrogen and Carbon. In chemistry paraffin is the common name for the Alkane Hydrocarbons with the general formula C n H2 n +2 In Organic chemistry, an alkene, olefin, or olefine is an unsaturated Chemical compound containing at least one Carbon Cycloalkanes (also called naphthenes, especially if from Petroleum sources are types of Alkanes which have one or more rings of Carbon Atoms An antioxidant is a Molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules Principal components include n-octane and isooctane. Octane is a straight-chain Alkane with the Chemical formula CH3(CH26CH3 224-Trimethylpentane, also known as isooctane, is an Octane Isomer which defines the 100 point on the Octane rating scale Like other fuels, blends of Aviation fuel used in piston engined aircraft are often described by their Octane rating. The octane rating is a measure of the resistance of Gasoline and other Fuels to Detonation ( Engine knocking) in spark-ignition

Safety precautions

Any fuelling operation can be very dangerous, and aviation fuelling has a number of unique characteristics which must be accommodated. As an aircraft flies through the air, it can accumulate a charge of static electricity. For the science of static charges see Electrostatics Static electricity refers to the accumulation of excess Electric charge in a If this is not dissipated before fuelling, an electric arc can occur which may ignite fuel vapours. To prevent this, aircraft are electrically bonded to the fuelling apparatus before fuelling begins, and are not disconnected until fuelling is complete. Some regions require that the aircraft and/or fuel truck be grounded as well.

Aviation fuel can cause severe environmental damage, and all fuelling vehicles must carry equipment to control fuel spills. In addition, fire extinguishers must be present at any fuelling operation, and airport firefighting forces are specially trained and equipped to handle aviation fuel fires and spills. A fire extinguisher is an Active fire protection device used to extinguish or control small fires often in emergency situations Aviation fuel must be checked daily and before every flight for contaminants such as water or dirt. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life.

Many airlines now require that safety belts be left unfastened should passengers be aboard when refuelling happens.

See also

External links


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