Jet Fuel and Kerosene are the same almost because they contain the same classes of hydrocarbons, so kerosene, jet fuel and diesel are similar products.
Jet fuel is a clear to straw-colored fuel, based on either an unleaded kerosene (Jet A-1), or a naphtha-kerosene blend (Jet B). Similar to diesel fuel, it can be used in either compression ignition engines or turbine engines.
Jet fuel (there's variants, but a very common one is known as Jet A) is really close to regular old diesel fuel. And, for that matter, kerosene. You can even run it straight in your diesel car or truck, though it doesn't lubricate as well so if you do, you'd want to add some sort of lubrication additive.
The effect would be similar to putting diesel in a petrol engine. Jet fuel is slightly heavier than diesel so does put extra strain on the fuel pump, but it does work. So if you put jet fuel into a diesel car, it should be able to run, but without adding a lubricant to the fuel, it will cause long term damage.
For this main reason, kerosene is good for jet fuel because it has a lower freezing point. Kerosene also has a higher flash point, which makes it much safer in preventing unplanned combustion. The other difference between gasoline and jet fuel is the additives injected into the mix for jet fuel.
Jet fuel (there's variants, but a very common one is known as Jet A) is really close to regular old diesel fuel. And, for that matter, kerosene. You can even run it straight in your diesel car or truck, though it doesn't lubricate as well so if you do, you'd want to add some sort of lubrication additive.
Jet A fuel costs less than 100LL (avgas) fuel because it is less complicated and expensive to manufacture, less expensive to transport via pipelines, and used in significantly higher quantities leading to economies of scale.
Sunoco 260 GT Plus is a high octane, highly oxygenated unleaded race fuel. Because 260 GT Plus contains more oxygen than is allowed in pump gas, it is for off-road and racing use only.
AVIATION FUEL COLORS
| Fuel grade | Color | Usage |
|---|
| AVgas 100LL | Blue | Most light piston engine aircraft |
| AVgas 82 UL | Purple | Most light piston engine aircraft |
| JET A/A1 | Straw or clear | Turbine/ Diesel aircraft |
| Diesel/Biodiesel | Clear | Diesel aircraft |
You need no license to buy the fuel. If you want to buy more fuel than you can put into your airplane, you need to have a license, in case you might use some of it for non-exempt purposes or might sell some of the fuel.
GRADES
| Grade | Color | Lead / Gallon |
|---|
| 80/87 | Red | 0.5 mL |
| 100LL | Blue | 1.2 - 2.0 mL |
| 100/130 | Green | 3.0 - 4.0 mL |
| 115/145 | Purple | 4.6 mL |
On average, aircraft fill up with an estimated 3,500 gallons of jet fuel, costing an estimated $7,070. However, price can vary from $4,040 on the low end to $14,140 on the high end.
AVgas has long been used as the fuel for piston powered aircraft, but as we will see, Aero diesel engines will use either JET or diesel fuels.
GRADES.
| Grade | Color | Lead / Gallon |
|---|
| 80/87 | Red | 0.5 mL |
| 100LL | Blue | 1.2 - 2.0 mL |
| 100/130 | Green | 3.0 - 4.0 mL |
| 115/145 | Purple | 4.6 mL |
The first is that a two stroke motor will run hotter with AVgas. If anything, the opposite is the case. The higher octane of AVgas makes the fuel burn slower and more efficiently. Also the lead in AVgas helps to dissipate heat and acts as a lubricant.
If you mix 100/130 and 100LL you get greenish-blue.
Unleaded 91 & E10 Unleaded - Red or Orange. Premium 95 - Yellow. Premium 98 - Yellow.
The Price Of Oil And Fuelling An Aircraft
170.8 Cents (US dollars) per Gallon. 1 litre = 0.3125 pence (pound sterling) 1 litre = 0.40 Euros.Running 100LL will not cause problems in a car as long as you don't have a catalytic converter or an oxygen sensor. The lead may damage these.
The price of jet fuel as of January 2015 is as follows: 170.8 Cents (US dollars) per Gallon. 1 litre = 0.3125 pence (pound sterling) 1 litre = 0.40 Euros.
Octane boosters work to improve fuel compression in your engine before detonation. As a result, the power of the vehicle's engine is enhanced for higher efficiency. Increase horsepower. Increasing the compression ratio of high octane fuel will also increase the horsepower of a vehicle.
Euro/Asian cars run on much higher octane fuels. It simply isn't available in the US. It allows more timing and more power. It will not damage your engine to run 100 octane, unleaded fuel.
AvGas octane numbers are determined in a different test than motor gasoline octane numbers. AvGas has a lower specific gravity than most racing gasolines. This means that if a racer tries AvGas and has not re-jetted, he can burn a piston because the air-fuel ratio is too lean and/or the engine detonated.
Generally, kerosene, although a lighter blend of diesel, makes a poor fuel for spark Ignition engines. If this is what you were thinking, it is not a good idea, since the fuel (kerosene) does not have a very volatile flash point. This makes it hard to run, unless the compression ratio of the engine also can be altered.
So, the moral of the story is; unless you have at least 12:1 compression (of more), do not run any 110 octane or higher race gas in it or you'll go slower. If you have 10:1 - 11:1, you can run up to about 100 octane and be fine, but if you have in the 9:1 area, don't even bother.
Lead in avgas prevents damaging engine knock, or detonation, that can result in a sudden engine failure. Lead is a toxic substance that can be inhaled or absorbed in the bloodstream, and the FAA and EPA and industry are partnering to remove it from avgas.
Tetraethyl lead has been used since the 1920s, but over the years it was discovered to be toxic and has been phased out in most areas of the world. The majority of the countries have embraced the ban, but some countries still use leaded gasoline.
On October 27, 2011, the United Nations Environment Program announced that the global use of leaded gasoline would be eradicated by 2013. The use of leaded gasoline is still allowed in 6 nations. These nations are Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, North Korea, Myanmar and Yemen.
Jet fuel (Jet A-1 type aviation fuel, also called JP-1A) is used globally in the turbine engines (jet engines, turboprops) in civil aviation. This is a carefully refined, light petroleum. The fuel type is kerosene. Jet A-1 has a flash point higher than 38°C and a freezing point of -47°C.
This fuel is expensive for a number of reasons: The lead itself is expensive. 100LL fuel has many more "aromatic" hydrocarbons than mogas (auto fuel) in order to increase the octane levels and prevent fuel from vaporizing in your lines at high altitude. It's much higher grade, so it costs more.
Neither mogas nor avgas contain ethanol because it can be nasty for plane engines. Ethanol absorbs water from the air, and an ethanol-water mixture corrodes fuel lines, gaskets, and other parts.
Jet fuels are typically made by blending and refining various crude oil petroleum distillation products such as naphtha, gasoline, or kerosene in order to meet specific military or commercial specifications (Air Force 1989b).
