How Does Jet Fuel Work?

Jet Fuels and Cars

Have you ever had the experience of seeing a military jet plane scream overhead at ungodly speeds and think "wow, I want THAT gas in my car"? It would be neat to see regular,everyday vehicles running off of jet fuel. Surprisingly, it burns much like car fuel. And did you know that there are actually cars that use jet fuel to operate? There's more to jet fuel than just speed.

Jet Fuel Composition

Jet fuel is a kerosene-based fuel. There are other additives that are put into jet fuel to make it work more efficiently depending on what kind of plane it is used in. For jet fuel to work in military planes, there are corrosion inhibitors added such as DCI-4A. Biocides are also added to some fuel mixes to kill off any dangerous bacteria. Most jet fuels are also mixed with antioxidants to keep it from gumming up inside fuel lines. As you can see, jet fuel is versatile.

Burning Jet Fuel

In jet engines, jet fuel is often stored in one or more tanks on the aircraft, but not directly on or near the engines. That is because typical jet fuel has a flash point of only over 100 degrees F. Jet fuel works as soon as the pilot puts it into the engine's system. The pilot often starts the aircraft by turning on the compressor blades to draw air into the engine. Then the pilot commands the jet plan to start up the spark plugs, shooting electrical sparks into the inside of the engine. Around the same time he releases the fuel from the tanks into the spray nozzles. The nozzles spray the fuel and spark mix into the air, igniting the fuel into extreme heat. The jet fuel burns and creates the heat that is shot out the back of the jet engine. Once it is on fire, jet fuel can reach temperatures of over 540 degrees F!

"Green" Jet Fuel

Jet fuel has become more and more environmentally safe as the technology continues to improve. Although jet airlines are responsible for more than 10 percent of greenhouse gasses, some studies say that it can be reduced by 80 percent with a proper mix of two fuels: algae fuel and jet fuel. Algae fuel is the base of most biofuels, utilizing algae to produce oils that can burn. Virgin Airlines once flew a plane on jet fuel that was mostly coconut and babassu oil. So the next time you see a plane screeching overhead, it may not be burning kerosene--it could very well be coconuts!