Flash Point and Chemical Composition of Aviation Kerosene (Jet A)

Shepherd, J. E. and Nuyt, C. D. and Lee, J. J. and Woodrow, J. E. (2000) Flash Point and Chemical Composition of Aviation Kerosene (Jet A). Technical Report. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.

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Abstract

The relationship between chemical composition, flash point, and ignition energy was examined for eight samples of aviation kerosene (Jet A) with flash points between 29◦C (84◦F) and 74◦C (165◦F). We report the results of liquid characterization by two different laboratories. We use the results of headspace gas chromatography carried out by Woodrow and Seiber to characterize the vapor composition at liquid mass loading fractions of 3 and 400 kg/m^3. The composition data were analyzed to obtain analytical representations of vapor pressure and average molar mass as a function of temperature for each flash point fuel. The relationship between composition and flash point is examined by using two prediction methods. The first method is based on the notion of a critical value of fuel-air mass ratio at the flammability limit. The second method is based on Le Chatelier’s rule for flammability limits. Both methods show a reasonable correlation between measured and predicted flash point. The relationship between flash point and ignition temperature threshold at a fixed spark ignition energy was examined for four fuels. A linear correlation was obtained for an ignition energy of 0.3 J. The effect of fuel weathering was examined by determining the flashpoints of seven fuel samples obtained from flight tests. The flash point increased about 8◦C for fuel that had been exposed to 5 take-off, cruise, and landing cycles.

EPrint Type:	Monograph (Technical Report)
Additional Information:	April 2, 2000 Revised: May 26, 2000 Explosion Dynamics Laboratory Report FM99-4 Prepared for and supported by the National Transportation Safety Board Under Order NTSB12-98-CB-0415 We thank Eric Wintenberger (CIT) for carrying out the flash point measurements discussed in Section 6 and also David Tong of ARCO for discussions about the fuel preparation and analysis.
Subjects:	All Records
ID Code:	48
Deposited By:	Caltech Library System
Deposited On:	20 September 2006
Record Number:	CaltechGALCITFM:1999.004
Official Persistent URL:	http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechGALCITFM:1999.004
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