At the refinery crude oil is turned into jet fuel and aviation gasoline. Only superior-quality fuels can be used for aviation. Jet fuels and aviation gasoline used in commercial aviation must meet or exceed stringent requirements for worldwide fuel handling and products standards set by industry and government groups, including The American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), The Coordinating Research Council and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense.
The superior-quality jet fuels and aviation gasoline supplied to general aviation must also meet stringent worldwide fuel handling and products standards set by Fixed Based Operators and Distributors. They also are in compliance with industry and government groups, including The American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), The Coordinating Research Council and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence.
The quality control starts at the refinery. The chemical formulation for aviation gasoline continues to be relatively unchanged for the past 50 years. It must satisfy these basic requirements: 1) Vaporization must occur easily at low temperatures but yet not so easy that it will cause vapor lock; 2) It must have a high energy content per unit weight (BTU), and permit high compression engine operation without detonation; 3) It must be relatively free of gum-forming compounds; 4) It must have a low sulfur content to reduce corrosive action; 5) It must be stored and delivered free of contaminants.
Other considerations in the processing of aviation gasoline are volatility and vaporization. Volatility has an important effect on carburetor icing and “vapor lock.” Vaporization of fuel in the carburetor venturi cannot take place without heat being extracted. If too much heat is taken out during the vaporization process there is danger of carburetor ice forming with float-type carburetors. Highly volatile fuel extracts more heat from its surroundings than does a less volatile fuel and tends to allow vapor (bubbles) to form in the fuel lines. Bubbles in the fuel delivery system cause an interruption or reduction in fuel flow (vapor lock) and complete or partial engine failure due to improper fuel-air mixture.
Octane ratings for aviation gasoline have been rated differently than automotive gasoline. Leaded aviation fuels use tetraethyl lead in small quantities, primarily to improve antiknock qualities, and is a necessary additive to aviation fuel to produce 100-octane or greater fuel.
Superior-quality products are the result of operational excellence. Companies like Triple Diamond Energy Corporation ensure maintaining quality control from the refinery to the airplanes producing and delivering their fuel products in a safe, secure, environmentally sound, reliable and efficient manner.
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