Fuel Contamination: What You Need to Know About Jet Fuel Contamination

An aircraft uses from hundreds to several thousand gallons of jet fuel every day. The most important thing to run turbine powered aircraft properly and without a flaw is to ensure that fuel is free from contamination. Contaminants can cause the aircraft and engine run faultily. From fuel system corrosion to failure of aircraft fuel system, contaminated fuel badly affects the engine during flight. For a perfect flight, you need a clean and puncture-resistant aircraft bladder tank for fuel storage and jet fuel free from contamination. 

There are different types of contaminants that we need to be aware of. The following are the common jet fuel contaminants

•    Water

•    Microbial growth

•    Particulate

In this blog post, we will talk about the most common jet fuel contaminant i.e. water.

Water

When water mixed up with fuel, it can be held as suspended particles in the fuel and in liquid form. A number of suspended particles depend on the temperature of the fuel. With the increase in the temperature of the fuel, water particles draw the moisture and maintain a saturated solution. However, with the decrease in the temperature of the fuel, some of the water particles in the fuel are drawn out of the solution and slowly gather at the bottom of the fuel cell.

Water can damage a jet fuel tank in following ways:

•          It can promote corrosion in fuel system components.

•          A lot of water can form ice crystals and clog fuel lines, components or filters.

•          Water can disturb or even stop the fuel supply to the engine.

•          If enough water is present in the fuel, there are chances to flourish bacteria or microorganism that feed on the hydrocarbons in the fuel.

•          Water can degrade the fuel quality as well.

Tips for identification and prevention of fuel contamination

There are several ways that can help in preventing fuel contamination. Here are some techniques that will help your fuel tank to be protected:

•          The basic and most important way is to cover all open lines during maintenance.

•          Regular fuel sampling can help to reduce this problem. It will help to reduce microbial growth and freezing associated with water.

•          Fuel sampling also helps to remove any accumulated fuel if done at the low point fuel drains.

•          Adding food coloring to jet fuel help in spotting the amount of water in the fuel.