PISTON ENGINES FUEL 61 62 ‘TYPES OF FUEL The preferred fuel currently used in aircraft piston engines is derived from mineral oil. The fuel is a blend of Hydrogen & Carbon. Jet and diesel fuels are also derived from the oil. The differing types of fuel are produced by a process called cracking. Aircraft piston engines use a Gasoline fuel known as Avgas. Equipment used for the dispensing of Avgas is colour coded Red to prevent cross contamination with other fuels. MANUFACTURING SPECIFICATIONS AND GRADES. So that aviation gasoline will fulfill these requirements, it is manufactured to conform with ‘exacting ‘specifications’ that are issued by the Directorate of Engine Research and Development (DER.D.). The specification number for gasoline is D.E.R.D. 2485. Fuel 'grades' lie within a specification and therefore carry a blanket D.E.R.D. number followed by a grade not pre-fixed by the D.E.R.D. notification, ‘The most popular grades of AVGAS readily available today are: Grade Performance No__| Colour] Specific Gravity (Densliy) ‘AVGAS 400LL | 1007130 Blue O72 Tow Lead 'AVGAS 100 1007130 Green ore High Lead ‘AVGAS 80 ‘BOT Red 072 Very Low Lead 63 Note;- although AVGAS 100 and AVGAS I00LL have the same 100 / 130 performance No. they are however easily distinguished by their colour. ‘Some Aviation Authorities do allow the use of car petrol for some aircraft. This is generally referred to as MOGAS (motor gasoline). Within the U.K., aircraft authorised for the use of MOGAS is laid down in Airworthiness Notices number 98 and 98a. Because of its higher volatility carburettor icing and vapour locking is much more likely. Information on the use of MOGAS can also be found in CAA Safety Sense leaflet no 4a. CALORIFIC VALUE. ‘The Calorific Value of a fuel is a measure of the amount of heat that will be released during ‘combustion, and is measured in British Thermal Units (B.T-U.) per pound. This varies with the chemical composition of the fuel, those with a high hydrogen content being superior. The calorific value is related to specific gravity. The higher the specific gravity the higher the calorific value. 6-1 (© Oxford Aviation Services LimitedPISTON ENGINES FUEL 64 65 66 67 VOLATILITY. A volatile liquid is one which is capable of changing readily from the liquid to the vapour state by the application of heat, or by contact with a gas into which it can evaporate. Fuel is added to the air at the carburettor, the efficiency with which the fuel mixes with the air is largely determined by the volatility of the fuel. However, the time involved is so small that some of the fuel remains in the form of minute droplets, the evaporation of which occurs in the induction system. HIGH VOLATILITY. A liquid boils when its vapour pressure is greater than the atmospheric pressure acting on the surface of the liquid. This means that, as the atmospheric pressure reduces with altitude, the fuel vaporizes at a lower temperature. This is generally referred to as low pressure boiling’ STABILITY. ‘A number of the hydro-carbon compounds which are present in gasoline have a considerable attraction for the oxygen in the air. When they come into contact with air, they oxidise and undergo chemical changes to form heavy resinous gummy compounds and corrosive bodies. It is essential that these potentially unstable hydro-carbons are not allowed to oxidise, this is prevented by the addition of oxidation inhibitors. SULPHUR CONTENT. Sulphur and sulphur compounds, when burnt in air, form sulphur-dioxide, This combines with the moisture content of the exhaust products to form a sulphurous acid which is extremely corrosive to the exhaust system. It is important that the sulphur content is kept as small as possible, in aviation gasoline the maximum amount of sulphur permitted is 0.001%. 6-2 ‘© Oxford Aviation Services LimitedPISTON ENGINES FUEL 68 69 ‘THE COMBUSTION PROCESS. Combustion is a controlled rate of burning (see paragraph 6, 2 below), it is not an ‘explosion’, ‘The mixture induced into the cylinders consists of gasoline vapour (84.2% carbon and 15.8% hydrogen by weight) and air (78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% other inert gases). When combustion has been completed, the hydrogen in the fuel will have combined with the oxygen in the air to form H°0 which is water vapour, and the carbon in the fuel will combine with the oxygen in the air to form CO? - carbon dioxide. The nitrogen and other gases play no active part in the combustion process, but they do form the bulk of the gas that is heated and expanded to create pressure energy. The nitrogen also slows down the rate of combustion, without nitrogen, combustion would be an explosion with far too rapid a temperature and pressure rise to be hamessed to do useful work. 3. Combustion ‘Complete 1, Normal Ignition 2. Flame Spreads Figure 6.1 Normal Combustion FLAME RATE. When normal combustion takes place, the compressed charge is ignited by the spark and burns rapidly and steadily with a flame speed of 60-80 ft. per second, giving a steady and smooth temperature and pressure rise in the combustion chamber. Maximum pressure will be generated when combustion has been completed, and ideally this, should occur when the crank is at 8° - 10° A.T.D.C. where, because of the ineffective crank angle, the volume of the combustion chamber is still at a minimum, Should maximum pressure conditions obtain in advance of this (i. at, or before T.D.C.) the engine would tend to run backwards. 6-3 © Oxford Aviation Services Limited