what type of gas is used in aircraft fuel?

Answer 1

Av Gas is standard at 100 octane and is leaded. Its commonly called 100LL which stands for 100 low lead. There is a blue dye added to the fuel to make fuel leaks easy to identify. 80LL used to be a common fuel as well, but now is hard to find. In high performance race planes such as the ones at Reno (http://www.airrace.org/indexJS.php) they use fuel that is 150+. The octane rating stops at 150, but VP makes a fuel that goes higher than that. As for Jet or Turbine engines, they use whats called Jet A, basically a form of kerosene. But, even these engines will run for several hours on Av Gas, its just extremely hot and hard on the engine.

Answer 2

This question has a lot of bad answers. There are two types of aircraft engines: Reciprocrating engines, which burn 100 octane leaded aviation gasoline; and Turbines, which burn jet fuel (Jet-A, JP-8 and similar jet fuels.)

The gasoline is leaded for two reasons. The first is to boost the octane rating, to allow higher compression. Since getting sued is an inevitability in the aviation industry, most small engines (reciprocating, spark plug types) have a 1950's era design with no electronics at all. That means that the fuel has to be a high octane to be able to operate at high compression ratios (more efficient) without knocking. Modern automobiles have had knock sensors since the 1980's which adjust the engine, but that's not available in airplanes. Av Gas also has an additive that stabilizes the fuel, so that it doesn't leave a laquer when it sits. Since most airplanes fly on the order of once a month instead of every day like a car, this is important. The fuel stabilizer does the same thing as fuel stabilizers for motorcycles and lawnmowers.

Turbine and turboprop engines burn jet fuel. Jet fuel starts as a wide-cut kerosene. Wide cut means that more molecular weights are included. It's much like diesel oil, except that more of the petroleum in crude oil can be used. The jelling point of jet fuel is lower then that of diesel oil; winter blend diesels aren't made for as cold temperatures as JP-8. Airliners fly at 35,000 feet above the sea level, where the temperature is often -60 C. Yes, that's a minus. The atmospheric pressure is very low there too, so the jet fuel is a low volatility fuel, which means it doesn't evaproate well.

In addition, jet fuel has additives that keep water in the fuel from freezing, and biocides to keep mold and fungus from growing in the fuel.

Answer 3

None. Aircraft engines don't run on gas of any shape form or description.

Helium is the only gas used in the flotation bags of airships.

Jet engines run on a stuff called Jet-A1 which is related to kerosene (paraffin). Some piston engines can run on road fuel (petrol not diesel) but I wouldn't recommend it unless it contains the right aditives for altitude and cold use.

Answer 4

AVGAS is a type of aircraft fuel in gaseous form. It burns at a higher temperature than normal simple hydrocarbons. Aircraft tend to use fuels that can be stable in a wide range of temperatures and pressures. More conventional liquid fuels used in aircraft tend to burn at high temperatures also. Once in an Air Engineering School, an instructor shocked us by putting a match out in a pan of AVCAT fuel. We all expected it to go 'pop' but the temperature in the match wasn't high enough.

Answer 5

Smaller planes use what is known as AVgas, high octane gasoline. Larger aircraft for the most part use JP4and JP8. its a commercial blend of diesel fuels made popular by military aviation

Answer 6

In piston engine aircraft the gasoline is similar to the gasoline you use in your car but it is 120 octane while you probably use 87 octane, I think the aircraft fuel is also leaded still (it is also outrageously expensive)
In Jets they use a fuel that is like kerosene with some additives

Answer 7

Jet fuel is similar to kerosene
Most small planes use 100 octane low lead or 120 low lead
In some cases the small planes are certified to use 87 octane car gasoline.
The aviation gasoline has a little different properties than the regular car gasoline to make it less likely to burn if it leaks in the engine compartment.(I think it doesn't vaporize as well and has a higher flash point)

Answer 8

Av Gas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Av-gas

Answer 9

A special blend of kerosene that is volaqtile due to the presence of one form of alchohol or the other. The name of the mixture is popularly known as JET-A1. There are ohter blends for different kinds of airplanes: "JP-4" for fighter jets like the F-16 Falcon; JP-7 for the de-commissioned SR-71 Blackbird. JP-7 is so non-volatile however, that it requires a wierd chemical reaction to get it burning in the Blackbird's twin J-79 General Electric turboramjet engines.

Answer 10

Jets use a fuel that is nearly identical to kerosene. Piston engine airplanes use a 110 octane gasoline - like racing fuel.