aircraft. In this chapter the description and discussion on ATG will be confined
mainly to that for civil purposes, although reference will be made to the military
grades of ATG. The specification that sets the standard for commercial jet fuel
quality is ASTM D1655. A summary of the specification is given in Table 4.
IATA (International Air Transport Association) publishes a document for the
guidance of international users of ATG. This document is titled Guidance Material
for Aviation Turbine Fuels Specifications. This guidance contains specifications for
four aviation turbine fuel types. Three of these are kerosene-type fuels (Jet A, Jet
A1, and TS1) and the other is a wide-cut fuel Jet B. Jet A meets the ASTM
requirements, Jet A1 meets the Joint Checklist requirements, TS1 meets the
Russian GOST requirements, and Jet B meets the CGSB requirements.
Table 5 summarizes some of the requirements of ASTM D 1655 and DEF STAN
(Defence Standard) 91-91. Both specifications include many footnotes to the requirements listed in Table 5 and also address other fuel issues. Readers in need of details
should refer directly to the current version of the specification of interest. Also,
readers should remember that a product specification is a living document that
undergoes periodic updates. ASTM standards include a suffix indicating the year of
last revision, e.g., D 1655-04 was last revised in the year 2004. Table 5 accurately
reflects the specifications as of this writing, but it will become out-of-date in time. Jet
A1 is listed as the Defense Standard 91-91 which is close to the UK Jet A1 standard.
The properties controlled by the specification are not all independent of one
another. For example, as total aromatics content increases, density, final boiling
point temperature, and freezing point increase, and smoke point decreases.
Military jet fuel. The governments of the United States and many other countries
maintain separate specifications for jet fuel for military use. The reasons for
separate specifications include the operational and logistical differences between
the military and civilian systems and the additional demands high-performance jet
fighter engines place on the fuel.
There are currently two fuels in widespread use by the US military. They are JP-5
used by the Navy and JP-8 used by the Air Force. Both are kerosene-type fuels and the
major difference between them is their flash point temperature. The minimum flash
point for JP-8 is 38
C while that for JP-5 is 60
C. The higher flash point for JP-5 is
for the safer handling of the fuel on aircraft carriers. Appropriate updates should be
consulted as they become available. Also, separate specifications apply to biojet fuel
and to synthetic fuels (e.g., Fischer-Tropsch). Detailed descriptions are available from
various oil companies (e.g., Chevron, Shell, etc.)
Gas Oils
Three grades of gas oils are considered here. They are:
• Heating oil (regular-grade gas oil)
• Automotive grade (diesel fuel)
• Marine diesel
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D.S.J. Jones
mainly to that for civil purposes, although reference will be made to the military
grades of ATG. The specification that sets the standard for commercial jet fuel
quality is ASTM D1655. A summary of the specification is given in Table 4.
IATA (International Air Transport Association) publishes a document for the
guidance of international users of ATG. This document is titled Guidance Material
for Aviation Turbine Fuels Specifications. This guidance contains specifications for
four aviation turbine fuel types. Three of these are kerosene-type fuels (Jet A, Jet
A1, and TS1) and the other is a wide-cut fuel Jet B. Jet A meets the ASTM
requirements, Jet A1 meets the Joint Checklist requirements, TS1 meets the
Russian GOST requirements, and Jet B meets the CGSB requirements.
Table 5 summarizes some of the requirements of ASTM D 1655 and DEF STAN
(Defence Standard) 91-91. Both specifications include many footnotes to the requirements listed in Table 5 and also address other fuel issues. Readers in need of details
should refer directly to the current version of the specification of interest. Also,
readers should remember that a product specification is a living document that
undergoes periodic updates. ASTM standards include a suffix indicating the year of
last revision, e.g., D 1655-04 was last revised in the year 2004. Table 5 accurately
reflects the specifications as of this writing, but it will become out-of-date in time. Jet
A1 is listed as the Defense Standard 91-91 which is close to the UK Jet A1 standard.
The properties controlled by the specification are not all independent of one
another. For example, as total aromatics content increases, density, final boiling
point temperature, and freezing point increase, and smoke point decreases.
Military jet fuel. The governments of the United States and many other countries
maintain separate specifications for jet fuel for military use. The reasons for
separate specifications include the operational and logistical differences between
the military and civilian systems and the additional demands high-performance jet
fighter engines place on the fuel.
There are currently two fuels in widespread use by the US military. They are JP-5
used by the Navy and JP-8 used by the Air Force. Both are kerosene-type fuels and the
major difference between them is their flash point temperature. The minimum flash
point for JP-8 is 38
C while that for JP-5 is 60
C. The higher flash point for JP-5 is
for the safer handling of the fuel on aircraft carriers. Appropriate updates should be
consulted as they become available. Also, separate specifications apply to biojet fuel
and to synthetic fuels (e.g., Fischer-Tropsch). Detailed descriptions are available from
various oil companies (e.g., Chevron, Shell, etc.)
Gas Oils
Three grades of gas oils are considered here. They are:
• Heating oil (regular-grade gas oil)
• Automotive grade (diesel fuel)
• Marine diesel
654
D.S.J. Jones