Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Jet Fuel Testing and Inspection.




  Jet aviation fuel tests: 

  • Acidity, Aniline Point, Anti-icing Additives
  • API Gravity, API Density
  • Color (Saybolt Method)
  • Aromatics, Appearance
  • Burning Quality
  • Water Reaction
  • Vapor Pressure (RVP Method)
  • Viscosity
  • Distillation, Doctor Test
  • Explosiveness
  • FAME in Jet Fuel 
  • Carbon Residue (Ramsbottom)
  • Smoke Point
  • Particle Count and ISO Coding 
  • Gum Existent Steam
  • Flash-point, Freeze-point
  • Olefins Content, Naphthalenes Content
  • Conductivity, Corrosion, Copper ContentA
  • Engine Damage Testing for  Dust and Volcano Particles  
  • Heat of Combustion, Hydrogen Content
  • Lubricity (BOCLE)A
  • Fuel Degradation Storage Problems 
  • Sulfur
  • MSEP (Micro-separarometer Index)









    Aviation Gasoline Fuel Testing

    JET Fuel Laboratories handles full ASTM-910 specification testing for aviation fuel gasoline, also known as AVGAS. Super-Charge Octane performance test engine testing for ASTM D-909 is also carried out. 



          Test Specification for AVGAS:         ASTM D-910  

          Avgas Fuel Test with  ASTM Method:  

    • Sulfur (ASTM D2622)  
    • Vapor Pressure (ASTM D5191) 
    • Water Reaction - Volume change  (ASTM D1094)
    • Electrical Conductivity (ASTM D2624)
    • Octane Number  (ASTM D2700)  
    • Net Heat of Combustion  (ASTM D3338) 
    • Potential Gum  (ASTM D873) 
    • Color  (ASTM D2392)  
    • Density  (ASTM D4052)  
    • Distillation  (ASTM D86) 
    • Copper Corrosion  (ASTM D130) 
    • Tetraethyl Lead  (ASTM D5059)
    • Lean Rating   (ASTM D2700) 
    • Freezing Point  (ASTM D2386)  
    • Performance Number   (ASTM D909) 

    AVIATION FUEL TESTING EQUIPMENT











    Monday, April 11, 2011

    TURBINE ENGINES






    A gas turbine, or a combustion turbine, is a rotary engine that produce energy from a flow of combustion gas.

    It has a compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between. 
    Gas turbine  also called just the turbine component. 
    Air is sucked in by the intake portion of the engine and added to compressor which compress this air to a high potential.
    The compressed air is subjected to combustion chamber where it is mixed with fuel spray and ignition source. The high potential burning mixture flow is directed througha nozzleover the turbine's blades, spinning the turbine which powers the compressor (turbine & compressor are coupled togather by a shaft) and, for some turbines, drives their mechanical output. when the hot gases exhuasts, it produce a thrust for the engine which pushes the A/C in forward direction.


    The following diagram shows how air enters, compresses and after combustion produce thrust from the exhaust gases. 


    Aromaticity


    Definition:  "Aromaticity is a chemical property in which a conjugated ring of unsaturated bonds, lone pairs, or empty orbitals exhibit a stabilization stronger than would be expected by the stabilization of conjugation alone."
                                                              
    According to organic chemistry, the structures of some rings of hydrocarbons atoms are unexpectedly stable. It is usually considered to be because electrons are free to move around circular paths of atoms which are alternately "single" and "double-bonded" to one another. These bonds may be seen as a hybrid of a single bond and a double bond, each bond in the ring identical to every other. Such generaly-seen model of aromatic rings ( namely the idea that benzene was formed from a six-membered carbon ring with alternating single and double bonds (cyclohexatriene). The model for benzene consists of two resonance forms, which corresponds to the double and single bonds superimposing to give rise to six one-and-a-half bonds. Benzene is a more stable molecule than would be expected without accounting for charge delocalization.
    Significance:
                                                       

     Key aromatic hydrocarbons are benzene, toluene, ortho-xylene and para-xylene. They are extracted from complex mixtures obtained by the refining of oil or by distillation of coal tar, and are used to produce a range of important chemicals and polymers, 

                                                  

    MILITARY JET FUELS



    CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF AVIATION FUEL:


    Aviation fuels consist of blends of over a thousand chemicals, primarily Hydrocarbons (paraffins,olefins, naphthenes, and aromatics) as well as additives such asantioxidants and metal deactivators, and impurities. 


    The main components include n-octane and isooctane. Like other fuels, blends of aviation fuel used in piston engined aircraft are often described by their Octane rating.


     CIVIL AVIATION FUEL

    They are classified as   A, B, TS-1, A1

    MILITARY AVIATION FUEL

    They are classified as jet propellant-1   (JP-1),  (JP-4),  (JP-5),  (JP-8)(JP-8)+100  and  100LL  (low lead)


    JP-8

    JP-8, (Jet Propellant-8) is a kerosene based jet fuel, converted by the U.S. government  from JP-4 fuel. It is a less flammable, less hazardous fuel for better safety. Its NATO code is F-35, with FSII is F-34. JP-8 has a flash point of 46 °C (100 °F) compared to -18 °C (0 °F) for JP-4. 


    Commercial aviation uses a similar mixture under the name Jet-A. 
    JP-8 is formulated with icing inhibitor, corrosion inhibitors, lubricants, and antistatic agents, and less benzene (a carcinogen) and less n-hexane (a neurotoxin) than JP-4. However, it also smells stronger than JP-4. JP-8 has an oily feel to the touch, while JP-4 feels more like a solvent.  As JP-8 is less volatile, it remains on the contaminated surfaces for longer time, increasing the risk of exposure.


    JP-8+100
    It is a version of JP-8 with an additive that increases its thermal stability by 56°C (a difference of 100°F). The additive is a combination of a surfactant, metal deactivator, and an antioxidant, and was introduced in 1994 to reduce cocking and fouling in engine fuel systems. 



    FSII
    Fuel system icing inhibitor (FSII) is an additive to aviation fuels that prevents the formation of ice crystals and microbiological growth in fuel tanks and lines.
    When the aircraft goes to higher altitude, the temperature drops and Jet fuel's capacity to hold water is diminished. Particulate water can separate out and could become a serious problem if it freezes in fuel lines or filters, blocking the flow of fuel and shutting 

    down an engine.
    FSII is an agent that is mixed with jet fuel as it is pumped into the aircraft. The mixture of FSII must be between 0.10% and 0.15% by volume for the additive to work correctly, and the FSII must be distributed evenly throughout the fuel. Simply adding FSII after the fuel has been pumped is therefore not sufficient.


    Large aircraft do not require FSII as they are usually equipped with electric fuel line heaters that keep the fuel at an appropriate temperature to prevent icing. However, if the fuel heaters are inoperable, the aircraft may be still be declared fit to fly, if FSII is added to the fuel.


    WATER IN THE FUEL
    It is very important that jet fuel be free from water contamination. During flight,the temperature of the fuel in the tanks decreases, due to the low temperatures in the upper atmosphere. 
    This causes precipitation of the dissolved water from the fuel. The separated water then drops to the bottom of the tank, because it is denser than the fuel. From this time on, as the water is no longer in solution, it can freeze, blocking fuel inlet pipes. Removing all water from fuel is impractical, therefore fuel heaters are usually used on commercial aircraft to prevent water in fuel from freezing.
    There are several methods for detecting water in jet fuel. A visual check may detect high concentrations of suspended water, as this will cause the fuel to become hazy in appearance. An industry standard chemical test for the detection of free water in jet fuel uses a water-sensitive filter pad that turns green if the fuel exceeds the specification limit of 30ppm (parts per million) free water.






    Viscosity, Specific gravity & API Gravity




    Viscosity:
    A Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear, stress or tensile stress. For (fluids only), viscosity is the measure of "thickness" or "internal friction". 


    Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity. in short, the less viscous the fluid is, the greater its ease of movement (fluidity) will be.


    Viscosity describes a fluid's internal resistance to flow and may be thought of as a measure of fluid friction.  All real fluids  have some resistance to stress and therefore are viscous, but a fluid which has no resistance to shear stress is known as an ideal fluid or inviscid fluid.



    Specific gravity:

    Specific gravity is the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density (mass of the same unit volume) of a reference substance. 
    Apparent specific gravity is the ratio of the weight of a volume of the substance to the weight of an equal volume of the reference substance. 
    The reference substance is usually water for liquids or air for gases
    Temperature and pressure must be specified for both the sample and the reference. 
    Pressure is nearly always 1 atm equal to 101.325 kPa.  


    API Gravity:

    The American Petroleum Institute gravity, or API gravity, is a measure of how heavy or light a petroleum liquid is compared to water. If its API gravity is greater than 10, it is lighter and floats on water; if less than 10, it is heavier and sinks. API gravity is thus an inverse measure of the relative density of a petroleum liquid and the density of water, but it is used to compare the relative densities of petroleum liquids. For example, if one petroleum liquid floats on another and is therefore less dense, it has a greater API gravity. Although mathematically, API gravity has no units (see the formula below), it is nevertheless referred to as being in "degrees". API gravity is graduated in degrees on a hydrometer instrument. The API scale was designed so that most values would fall between 10 and 70 API gravity degrees.

    The formula to obtain API gravity of petroleum liquids, from specific gravity (SG), is:







    Direct Measurement of API gravity (Hydrometer method) = This method is detailed in ASTM D287.


    • Crude oil is classified as light, medium or heavy, according to its measured API gravity.
    • Light crude oil is defined as having an API gravity higher than 31.1 °API. (less than 870 kg/m3)
    • Medium oil is defined as having an API gravity between 22.3 °API and 31.1 °API. (870 to 920 kg/m3)
    • Heavy oil is defined as having an API gravity below 22.3 °API. (920 to 1000 kg/m3)
    • Extra heavy oil is defined with API gravity below 10.0 °API. (greater than 1000 kg/m3)