What is the fuel used in common airplanes?

Answer 1

The most common airplane fuel is kerosene ("paraffin" in the United Kingdom), but depending on the aircraft, they may use any of the following:

• Avgas (aviation gasoline)
• Mogas (automotive gasoline -- Called "Petrol" in the UK)
• Aviation biofuel
• Jet fuel (kerosene, Jet A, Jet A1, Jet B, JP-1, JP-4, JP-5, JP-6, JP-7, JP-8, etc.)
• JPTS (Jet Propellant Thermally Stable)
• Swift fuel (replacement for 100LL avgas)
• Hydrogen or various liquid hydrocarbons with liquid oxyen (rocket fuel)

Gas Turbine powered aircraft -- including jets, turboprops, and many helicopters -- use jet fuel. It is a heavy fuel oil like Kerosene (Called "Paraffin" in the UK).

Jet A is primarily used in the United States and at a few airports in Canada, while Jet A-1 is the standard specification fuel used in the rest of the world. Jet A is the heavy grade and the more common Jet A-1 is a heavy grade with antifreeze and antistatic additives. Jet B is a wide-cut grade -- 30% Kerosene mixed with 70% Gasoline -- and is used mostly in helicopters.

Although Gas Turbine engines can burn virtually anything, including Gasoline. Jet B is rarely used, except in very cold climates, as its use in warmer climates can produce jet exhaust gas temperatures high enough to overheat the turbine blades, causing them to fail.

Reciprocating aircraft engines (Piston engines) use Avgas, a type of Gasoline (Gasoline is called "Petrol" in the UK). It is available in a variety of grades but the most commonly used grade of Avgas that is available readily worldwide is 100LL grade (which is dyed blue).

Other grades can be harder to obtain, for instance: 80/87 (which is dyed red) was used for low compression aero engines but it was phased out in the late 20th century.

The production of 82UL grade (which used to be dyed purple) was ceased in 2008.

85UL grade is commonly available for use with Micro-Light engines.

91/96 grade (which is dyed brown) is primarily for military use. Like most other grades of Avgas it contains a percentage of poisonous Tetra-Ethel Lead (TEL). However in 1991 the Hjelmco Oil Company in Sweden introduced an unleaded Avgas meeting 91/96UL grade (and which also meets the leaded 91/98 grade standard: ASTM D910). It contains no dye, so it is effectively transparent. In November 2010, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) based on about 20 years of trouble-free operations with unleaded Avgas 91/96UL produced by Hjelmco Oil cleared this fuel for all aircraft where the aircraft engine manufacturer has approved this fuel. Engine manufacturers Teledyne Continental Motors, Textron Lycoming, Rotax, and radial engine manufacturer Kalisz have cleared the Hjelmco Avgas 91/96UL, which in practice means that the fuel can be used in more than 90% of the piston aircraft fleet worldwide.

100/130 grade (which is dyed green) has been mostly replaced worldwide with 100LL grade. As of August 2013, 100/130 grade Avgas is only available in Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and the states of Hawaii and Utah in the USA...Everywhere else uses 100LL.

115/145 grade (which is dyed purple) was originally used as the primary fuel for the largest, boost-supercharged radial engines needing this fuel's excellent anti-detonation properties. Limited batches are produced for special events such as unlimited air races.

Mogas (Ethanol-free automotive fuel) can also be used on ultralight and home-built aircraft. It can also be used in certified aircraft with approved modifications to the engine and fuel system.

Diesel engines have been making a comeback since the 1990s. For example, the Diamond DA-42 is a light twin engine aircraft that can be ordered with Diesel engines designed to run mostly on Jet A1 or Jet B, since those fuels are more readily available at airports worldwide.

Methyl alcohol (methanol) mixed with water is used for boosting power of some turbine engines. It has also been employed in aircraft reciprocating engines, such as the methanol/water injection systems used during World War ll in the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 and American P47 Thunderbolt fighters. The system could increase engine output by as much as 500 horsepower for up to 10 minutes.