Complexities associated with nucleation of water and ice from jet fuel in aircraft fuel systems: A critical review

Characterization of Water Droplets Size Distribution in Aviation Turbine Fuel: Ultrasonic Homogeniser vs. High Shear Speed Mixer

“…Water in aviation fuel has been a long-standing area of concern in the aviation industry [11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. There are three different forms in which water could exist in aviation fuel; as dissolved water, dispersed water and free water [8,9].…”

Investigation of Water Droplet Size Distribution in Conventional and Sustainable Aviation Turbine Fuels

“…Although alternative fuels seem like a promising technology for the aviation industry, some alternative fuels (oxygenated fuels) have high water solubility [9]. The alternative fuels available are low in sulfur and tend to be low in aromatics [10,11,12,13]. Previous work has established that a low aromatics content may lead to a reduced water contamination and elastomer (seal) shrinkage, while a low sulfur content leads to lower lubricity of the fuel [13].…”

“…The alternative fuels available are low in sulfur and tend to be low in aromatics [10,11,12,13]. Previous work has established that a low aromatics content may lead to a reduced water contamination and elastomer (seal) shrinkage, while a low sulfur content leads to lower lubricity of the fuel [13]. As a result, most SAF can be used after being blended with a certain percentage of conventionally refined jet fuel [6].…”

“…Free water or dispersed water can be controlled by regularly draining it out from the bottom of the tank after settling [15]. This activity is referred to as "sumping" [13,23]. Sumping is an operational maintenance procedure that is practiced to date because of the safety implications of free water in jet fuel.…”

“…The literature has identified water solubility, total water content, size of water droplets, particulates, and temperature to predominantly influence the process of ice formation/accretion in aircraft fuel systems [13,24,25,26,27,28,29]. So far the effects of water solubility and temperature in sustainable and conventionally refined jet fuels have been studied from different angles, while research activities are still ongoing to develop more efficient ways to tackle the issue of water contamination in fuel.…”