Jet fuel
Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF, also abbreviated avtur) is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is colorless to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial aviation are Jet A and Jet A-1, which are produced to a standardized international specification. The only other jet fuel commonly used in civilian turbine-engine powered aviation is Jet B, which is used for its enhanced cold-weather performance.
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| Identifiers | |
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| ChemSpider |
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| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| Appearance | Straw-colored liquid |
| Density | 775-840 g/L |
| Melting point | −47 °C (−53 °F; 226 K) |
| Boiling point | 176 °C (349 °F; 449 K) |
| Hazards | |
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
| Flash point | 38 °C (100 °F; 311 K) |
| 210 °C (410 °F; 483 K) | |
| Safety data sheet (SDS) | |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Jet fuel is a mixture of a variety of hydrocarbons. Because the exact composition of jet fuel varies widely based on petroleum source, it is impossible to define jet fuel as a ratio of specific hydrocarbons. Jet fuel is therefore defined as a performance specification rather than a chemical compound.[1] Furthermore, the range of molecular mass between hydrocarbons (or different carbon numbers) is defined by the requirements for the product, such as the freezing point or smoke point. Kerosene-type jet fuel (including Jet A and Jet A-1, JP-5, and JP-8) has a carbon number distribution between about 8 and 16 (carbon atoms per molecule); wide-cut or naphtha-type jet fuel (including Jet B and JP-4), between about 5 and 15.[2][3]