Flight Daily News

New fuels and the chemical processes to make them are edging closer to approval under key specifications.

ASTM International's Subcommittee D02.J on Aviation Fuels will consider a ballot this summer amending jet fuel specification D1655 to let producers market jet fuel blends with up to 50% content made with the Fischer-Tropsch process.

Presently only Sasol of South Africa has specific approval for fuels converted from natural gas and coal, at 50% blends since 1999 and for 100% synthetic fuels since April 2008. The UK Ministry of Defense granted the approval under Def Stan 91-91, to which ASTM requirements refer.

Subcommittee chair Stan Seto says the OEM/FAA approval process is under way to expand the definition of acceptable synthesized paraffinic kerosene to include hydrogenated fats and oils and a new task force was formed at a June meeting in Warsaw.

“There is much interest for the approval of biomass-produced fuels which would help to reduce key greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide,” he says. The subcommittee agreed to consider a new standard practice guideline for the qualification and approval of new aviation turbine fuels and fuel additives, as a replacement for the current words in ASTM D4054.