Project status: Completed

R O J E C T

A C T

H E E T

Advanced Thermally Stable Jet Fuels

Goal
The goal of this project was to design and make a coal-based
jet fuel capable of withstanding temperatures up to 480oC
(900oF) for extended periods of time, while still meeting
quality standards for current jet fuels.

Team

Project Discussion
The jet fuel project had three major components: production,
stabilization and combustion.

Production

The EMS Energy Institute worked with PARC Technical

Services, United Refining Co., Preptech Inc., the U.S. Air
Force and Duquesne University.

The focus of production was to incorporate coal or coal-derived

materials into existing oil refinery operations. Two processes
were under investigation, one blending coal tar distillates with
petroleum refinery streams, and the other involving co-coking of
coal with refinery streams.

Stabilization

Background
Penn State conducted research on the development of an advance,
coal-based, thermally-stable jet fuel for use not only as the source of
propulsion energy for the aircraft, but also as an on-board heat sink.
This application will be especially important for emerging aircraft
designs, such as the F-35. A secondary objective was the displacement
of imported petroleum by a secure, domestic energy source coal.

The stabilization part of the program aimed to develop a

fundamental understanding of the modes of fuel decomposition
under the autoxidative regime (<250oC) and the pyrolytic
regime (>400oC). Fuel decomposition can lead to the formation
of solid deposits, which may block fuel lines during flight or
affect the composition of the fuel during storage.

Combustion
In the combustion studies researchers used a gas turbine
simulator to compare the combustion characteristics of the coalbased fuels to conventional fuels. In their studies, they measured
emissions and soot formation, along with flame characteristics.

JP-8

Property

JP-8
o

Before

After

Boiling Range, F
Freeze point,oF
Flash point, oF
Net heating value, Btu/lb
Energy density , Btu/gal
Specific gravity @ 60 oF

JP-900

Comparison of Fuels
Stressed Under Nitrogen
for 2 Hours at 900oF

Avg Composition, vol%

Aromatics
Hydroaromatics and cycloalkanes
Paraffins
Olefins
Sulfur, ppm
Before

After

JP-900

330-510 356-626
-60
-75
127.0
155.0
18,550 18,260
126,000 148,200
0.81
0.97

18.0
20.0
60.0
2.0
490

25.0
75.0
0.0
0.0
<3

Table 1: Comparison of the Properties of JP-8 and a JP-900 Jet Fuel

Results

Thermal stability tests were performed in static reactors and flow

reactors, in the presence or absence of air. Figure 1 shows a
comparison of the thermal stability of conventional JP-8 and a
prototype JP-900 fuel. The graph shows the level of carbon
deposition in an externally heated tube with respect to distance
along the tube. As the fuel entered the tube at room temperature it
was gradually heated as it traveled down the tube, reaching 480oC at
the exit. The carbon deposits were the result of the thermal break
down of the fuel under the high-temperature conditions. The results
show that the prototype JP-900 fuel comprehensively outperforms
the JP-8 under these operating conditions.
In addition to investigating the thermal stability of prototype JP900, combustion studies were also undertaken to examine the
combustion instability and pollutant emissions characteristics of
these fuels.
Combustion instability refers to the occurrence of undesirable
pressure oscillations due the coupling of unsteady heat release and
the acoustics modes of the combustion chamber. The occurrence of
combustion instability is a function of both the operating conditions
and the combustor geometry. For these studies, a model combustor
was employed that allowed the comparison of the instability

behavior of coal-based fuels with conventional petroleum based

fuels. Combustion studies also allowed measurements of the
pollutant such as carbon monoxide (CO) and nitric oxides (NO and
NO2). The objective of these emissions studies was to provide a
comparative based between current conventional jet fuels and coalbased fuel produced under the research program.
450

400

350

Carbon Deposit (
g/cm2)

Research at Penn State was focused on evaluating the quality of the

fuels. In addition to the standard tests such as flash point, cloud
point, and calorific value, detailed chemical composition analysis,
thermal stability testing and combustion studies intended to
simulate actual gas turbine combustor conditions were carried out.
Some of the data on one prototype JP-900 are provided in Table 1,
along with data on JP-8.

300

250

200

150

100

50

0
2.9

9.5

16

22.2

28.7

34.9

41.3

47.9

53.8

60

66.7

73.3

79.1

85.7

91.4

-50

Axial Distance (cm)

Figure 1. Comparison of the behavior of conventional JP-8 and Penn

States prototype JP-900 under stressing conditions at temperatures up
to 900oF.
Run Conditions: Furnace temp. 700oC, bulk fuel outlet temp. 480oC,
reactor pressure 700 psig, flow rate 10 ml/min, duration 7 hrs, tubing:
304 SS, 1/4" o.d., 1/8" i.d.

www.energy.psu.edu

Key Contact
Harold Schobert, hxs2@psu.edu, (814) 863-1337

Key Publications

Balster, L.M.; Corporan, E.; DeWitt, M.J.; et.al., Development of an Advanced, Thermally Stable, Coal-Based Jet Fuel, Fuel Processing
Technology, 2008, 89, (4), 364-78.

Burgess, C.E. and Schobert, H.H. Direct Liquefaction for Production of High Yields of Feedstocks for Specialty Chemicals or
Thermally Stable Jet Fuels, Fuel Processing Technology, 2000, 64, 57-74.

Fickinger, A.E.; Badger, M.W.; Mitchell, G.D.; Schobert, H.H., Laboratory-scale Coking of Coal-petroleum Mixtures in Sealed
Reactors, Energy and Fuels, 2004, 18, (4), 976-86.

Gul, O.; Clifford, C.; Rudnick, L.; Schobert, H., Characterization of Liquids Derived from Laboratory Coking of Decant Oil and Cocoking of Pittsburgh Seam Bituminous Coal with Decant Oil, Energy and Fuels, 2009, 23, 2637-45.

Schobert, H.H. and Song, C., Chemicals and Materials from Coal in the 21st Century, Fuel, 2002, 81, (1), 15-32

Song, C.S.; Eser, S.; Schobert, H.H.; Hatcher, P.G., Pyrolytic Degradation Studies of a Coal-derived and a Petroleum-derived Aviation
Jet Fuel, Energy and Fuels, 1993, 7, (2), 234-43.

This publication is available in alternative media on request.

Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. (July 2010) U. Ed. EMS 03-04