Development of a specifically designed jet fuel thermal stability additive

An initiative led by the US Air Force concluded that advances in military fighter aircraft systems would require fuels with over 50% improvement in heat sink capability over conventional JP-8 fuel. This led to the creation of the "JP-8+100" program that demonstrated that the thermal stability of jet fuels (particularly JP-8) could be enhanced through the use of particular additives used at relatively low concentrations. Additionally, flight-testing highlighted a significant reduction in fuel-related maintenance costs, arising from cleaner combustion. Inspired by the USAF success, and anticipated environmental and maintenance benefits, we attempted to design a conceptually new multifunctional species to enhance the thermal stability of jet fuels, without compromising other required essentials of jet fuel product quality, since one drawback found with classical dispersant additives has been a deleterious effect on water and solids separation characteristics. The present paper therefore describes the philosophy behind our additive development work, and gives results and conclusions of laboratory and large-scale tests conducted under this program. These demonstrate (a) the activity of the new type of additive in enhancing the thermal stability of JP-8 fuel, and (b) the compatibility of additized fuel with existing conventional filter/water separation systems. © 2001 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved