Manufacture, qualification and approval of new aviation turbine fuels and additives

Energy consumption has always been instrumental in raising the living standards of the people of this planet. Unfortunately, it is predicted that the fossils fuels which have heretofore been the main source of energy will be practically depleted in 50 years. It is also now abundantly clear that the use of the fossil fuels involves environmentally damaging emissions such as CO2 , SO2 and a variety of Nitrogen Oxides. The lifting of hundreds of millions of people in the developing world from poverty into the middle class has greatly increased the demand for energy, which is currently derived mainly from fossil fuels and thus dramatically exacerbating the pollution trends. Due to the limiting nature of the fossil fuels and their undesirable pollution effects, there is a concerted effort to find alternative and less polluting energy sources. Since the aviation industry is on the cusp of unprecedented expansion to accommodate the travelling needs of the rapidly increasing middle class of the emerging economies, the quest for alternative fuels, such as biofuels, for aviation has assumed a form of urgency. Since the approval of the use of Fischer Tropsch Hydroprocessed Synthesized Paraffinic Kerosenes (SPK) produced by Sasol as a blending stock in DEFSTAN 91-91 research has been ongoing to introduce feedstock from alternative feedstock using different methods. However, the use of biofuels in aviation presents greater restrictions for any candidate fuel and may require extensive changes to engines. The aim of this paper is to review and provide a guideline in the production and certification of aviation