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Continental IO-346

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The Continental IO-346 engine is a fuel-injected four-cylinder aircraft engine that was developed especially for the Beechcraft Musketeer Custom III by Continental Motors . It was produced for that aircraft between 1965 and 1969.

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100-613: There is no carbureted version of the engine, which would have been designated O-346 and therefore the base model is the IO-346. The IO-346 was designed to run on 91-98 avgas . The engine has a dry weight of 269¾ lb or 297 lb including the generator and starter. The ignition system consists of dual magnetos , one Scintilla S4RN-201 and one S4RN-205 or, alternatively, two Slick Electro 449 magnetos. Reference: Engines for Homebuilt Aircraft & Ultralights Avgas Avgas ( aviation gasoline , also known as aviation spirit in

200-518: A Beechcraft Bonanza and ground testing in Continental O-200 , 240 , O-470 , and O-520 engines. In May 2010, TCM indicated that despite industry skepticism, they are proceeding with 94UL and that certification was expected in mid-2013. In June 2010, Lycoming Engines indicated their opposition to 94UL. Company general manager Michael Kraft stated that aircraft owners do not realize how much performance would be lost with 94UL and characterized

300-400: A "fuel return" line to send unused fuel back to the tank, which has the benefit of equalizing the fuel's temperature throughout the system, further reducing the chance of vapor lock developing. In addition to vapor locking potential, automotive gasoline does not have the same quality tracking as aviation gasoline. To help solve this problem, the specification for an aviation fuel known as 82UL

400-502: A 91/96 avgas and have STCs available to run "premium" 91 anti-knock index (AKI) automotive gasoline. Examples include some Cherokees with the 160 hp (120 kW) Lycoming O-320 or 180 hp (130 kW) O-360 , or the Cessna 152 with the O-235 . The AKI rating of typical automotive fuel might not directly correspond to the 91/96 avgas used to certify engines, as motor vehicle pumps in

500-481: A FAA approved industry replacement by 2018. In July 2021, the first commercially-produced unleaded avgas, GAMI's G100UL , was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration through a Supplemental Type Certificate . Lycoming Engines provides a list of engines and fuels that are compatible with unleaded fuel. However, all of their engines require that an oil additive be used when unleaded fuel

600-562: A Lycoming O-360-A4M in 2013. The fuel is certified under Lycoming Service Instruction 1070 and ASTM D4814. Unleaded 94 Motor octane fuel ( UL94 ) is essentially 100LL without the lead. In March 2009, Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) announced they had tested a 94UL fuel that might be the best replacement for 100LL. This 94UL meets the avgas specification including vapor pressure but has not been completely tested for detonation qualities in all Continental engines or under all conditions. Flight testing has been conducted in an IO-550-B powering

700-537: A checklist of 12 fuel specification parameters and 4 distribution and storage parameters. The FAA has requested a maximum of US$ 60M to fund the administration of the changeover. In July 2014, nine companies and consortiums submitted proposals to the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI) to assess fuels without tetraethyl lead. Phase one testing is performed at the William J. Hughes Technical Center for

800-425: A diesel fuel. A higher cetane number indicates that the fuel ignites more readily when sprayed into hot compressed air. European (EN 590 standard) road diesel has a minimum cetane number of 51. Fuels with higher cetane numbers, normally "premium" diesel fuels with additional cleaning agents and some synthetic content, are available in some markets. About 86.1% of diesel fuel mass is carbon, and when burned, it offers

900-589: A few minutes due to coal dust deposition. Before diesel fuel was standardised, diesel engines typically ran on cheap fuel oils. In the United States, these were distilled from petroleum, whereas in Europe, coal-tar creosote oil was used. Some diesel engines were fuelled with mixtures of fuels, such as petrol, kerosene, rapeseed oil, or lubricating oil which were cheaper because, at the time, they were not being taxed. The introduction of motor-vehicle diesel engines, such as

1000-469: A gel at temperatures of −19 to −15 °C (−2 to 5 °F), that cannot flow in fuel systems. Conventional diesel fuels vaporise at temperatures between 149 °C and 371 °C. Conventional diesel flash points vary between 52 and 96 °C, which makes it safer than petrol and unsuitable for spark-ignition engines. Unlike petrol, the flash point of a diesel fuel has no relation to its performance in an engine nor to its auto ignition qualities. As

1100-491: A good approximation the chemical formula of diesel is C n H 2n . Diesel is a mixture of different molecules. As carbon has a molar mass of 12 g/mol and hydrogen has a molar mass of about 1 g/mol, so the fraction by weight of carbon in EN ;590 diesel fuel is roughly 12/14. The reaction of diesel combustion is given by: 2 C n H 2n + 3n O 2 ⇌ 2n CO 2 + 2n H 2 O Carbon dioxide has

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1200-472: A means of separating the fission product palladium from PUREX raffinate which comes from used nuclear fuel . In this system of solvent extraction, the hydrocarbons of the diesel act as the diluent while the di alkyl sulfides act as the extractant. This extraction operates by a solvation mechanism. So far, neither a pilot plant nor full scale plant has been constructed to recover palladium, rhodium or ruthenium from nuclear wastes created by

1300-615: A molar mass of 44g/mol as it consists of 2 atoms of oxygen (16 g/mol) and 1 atom of carbon (12 g/mol). So 12 g of carbon yield 44 g of Carbon dioxide. Diesel has a density of 0.838 kg per liter. Putting everything together the mass of carbon dioxide that is produced by burning 1 liter of diesel fuel can be calculated as: 0.838 k g / L ⋅ 12 14 ⋅ 44 12 = 2.63 k g / L {\displaystyle 0.838kg/L\cdot {\frac {12}{14}}\cdot {\frac {44}{12}}=2.63kg/L} The figure obtained with this estimation

1400-608: A net heating value of 43.1 MJ/kg as opposed to 43.2 MJ/kg for gasoline. Due to the higher density, diesel fuel offers a higher volumetric energy density: the density of EN 590 diesel fuel is defined as 0.820 to 0.845 kg/L (6.84 to 7.05 lb/US gal) at 15 °C (59 °F), about 9.0-13.9% more than EN 228 gasoline (petrol)'s 0.720–0.775 kg/L (6.01–6.47 lb/US gal) at 15 °C, which should be put into consideration when comparing volumetric fuel prices. The CO 2 emissions from diesel are 73.25 g/MJ, just slightly lower than for gasoline at 73.38 g/MJ. Diesel fuel

1500-402: A recent transfer to ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD), which causes infrastructural complications. In Sweden, a diesel fuel designated as MK-1 (class 1 environmental diesel) is also being sold. This is a ULSD that also has a lower aromatics content, with a limit of 5%. This fuel is slightly more expensive to produce than regular ULSD. In Germany, the fuel tax on diesel fuel is about 28% lower than

1600-515: A reduced-tax agricultural-only product containing an identifying coloured dye known as red diesel . The official term for white diesel is DERV , standing for diesel-engine road vehicle . In Australia , diesel fuel is also known as distillate (not to be confused with "distillate" in an older sense referring to a different motor fuel), and in Indonesia (as well in Israel ), it is known as Solar ,

1700-486: A spark as a result of compression of the inlet air and then injection of fuel. Therefore, diesel fuel needs good compression ignition characteristics. The most common type of diesel fuel is a specific fractional distillate of petroleum fuel oil , but alternatives that are not derived from petroleum, such as biodiesel , biomass to liquid (BTL) or gas to liquid (GTL) diesel are increasingly being developed and adopted. To distinguish these types, petroleum-derived diesel

1800-471: A special oil additive is used. The annual US usage of avgas was 186 million US gallons (700,000 m ) in 2008, and was approximately 0.14% of the motor gasoline consumption. From 1983 through 2008, US usage of avgas declined consistently by approximately 7.5 million US gallons (28,000 m ) each year. As of 2024, the annual US usage of avgas was 180 million US gallons (680,000 m ), most of which contained lead, and 170,000 aircraft in

1900-442: A toxic lead containing additive used to aid in lubrication of the engine, increase octane rating , and prevent engine knocking (premature detonation). There are ongoing efforts to reduce or eliminate the use of lead in aviation gasoline. Kerosene -based jet fuel is formulated to suit the requirements of turbine engines which have no octane requirement and operate over a much wider flight envelope than piston engines. Kerosene

2000-427: A trademarked name from the country's national petroleum company Pertamina . The term gas oil (French: gazole ) is sometimes also used to refer to diesel fuel. Diesel fuel originated from experiments conducted by German scientist and inventor Rudolf Diesel for his compression-ignition engine which he invented around 1892. Originally, Diesel did not consider using any specific type of fuel. Instead, he claimed that

2100-437: Is C 12 H 23 , ranging approximately from C 10 H 20 to C 15 H 28 . Most diesel fuels freeze at common winter temperatures, while the temperatures greatly vary. Petrodiesel typically freezes around temperatures of −8.1 °C (17.4 °F), whereas biodiesel freezes between temperatures of 2 to 15 °C (36 to 59 °F). The viscosity of diesel noticeably increases as the temperature decreases, changing it into

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2200-469: Is acceptable to use on those aircraft and engines that are approved to operate with ... grade UL91 avgas that meets specification D7547." In August 2016, the FAA revised SAIB HQ-16-05 to include similar wording regarding the acceptability of using UL94 in aircraft and engines that are approved to operate with avgas that has a minimum Motor octane rating of 80 or lower, including Grade 80/87. The publication of

2300-445: Is also used by most diesel piston engines developed for aviation use, such as those by SMA Engines , Austro Engine , and Thielert . The main petroleum component used in blending avgas is alkylate , which is a mixture of various isooctanes. Some refineries also use reformate . All grades of avgas that meet CAN 2–3 , 25-M82 have a density of 6.01 pounds per US gallon (720 g/L) at 15 °C (59 °F). (6 lb/U.S. gal

2400-446: Is available in some countries for use primarily in agricultural applications, such as fuel for tractors, recreational and utility vehicles or other noncommercial vehicles that do not use public roads . This fuel may have sulfur levels that exceed the limits for road use in some countries (e.g. US). This untaxed diesel is dyed red for identification, and using this untaxed diesel fuel for a typically taxed purpose (such as driving use),

2500-471: Is because diesel engines are more fuel efficient, and diesel fuel is less prone to catching fire. Some of these diesel-powered vehicles (such as the Leopard 1 or MAN 630 ) still ran on petrol, and some military vehicles were still made with otto engines (e. g. Ural-375 or Unimog 404 ), incapable of running on diesel fuel. Today's tractors and heavy equipment are mostly diesel-powered. Among tractors, only

2600-577: Is close to the values found in the literature. For gasoline, with a density of 0.75 kg/L and a ratio of carbon to hydrogen atoms of about 6 to 14, the estimated value of carbon emission if 1 liter of gasoline is burnt gives: 0.75 k g / L ⋅ 6 ⋅ 12 6 ⋅ 12 + 14 ⋅ 1 ⋅ 44 12 = 2.3 k g / L {\displaystyle 0.75kg/L\cdot {{\frac {6\cdot 12}{6\cdot 12+14}}\cdot 1}\cdot {\frac {44}{12}}=2.3kg/L} In

2700-488: Is commonly used in America for weight and balance computation.) Density increases to 6.41 pounds per US gallon (768 g/L) at −40 °C (−40 °F), and decreases by about 0.1% per 1 °C (1.8 °F) increase in temperature. Avgas has an emission coefficient (or factor) of 18.355 pounds per US gallon (2.1994 kg/L) of CO 2 or about 3.07 units of weight CO 2 produced per unit weight of fuel used. Avgas

2800-443: Is dictated by the particular composition of and storage plans for diesel fuels. Each is added at the 5-50 ppm level. The diesel engine is a multifuel engine and can run on a huge variety of fuels. However, development of high-performance, high-speed diesel engines for cars and lorries in the 1930s meant that a proper fuel specifically designed for such engines was needed: diesel fuel. In order to ensure consistent quality, diesel fuel

2900-577: Is generally simpler to refine from petroleum than gasoline Additional refining is required to remove sulfur, which contributes to a sometimes higher cost. In many parts of the United States and throughout the United Kingdom and Australia, diesel fuel may be priced higher than petrol per gallon or litre . Reasons for higher-priced diesel include the shutdown of some refineries in the Gulf of Mexico , diversion of mass refining capacity to gasoline production, and

3000-492: Is less volatile, with a Reid vapor pressure range of 5.5 to 7 psi, than automotive gasoline, with a range of 8 to 14 psi. A minimum limit ensures adequate volatility for engine starting. The upper limits are related to atmospheric pressure at sea level, 14.7 psi, for motor vehicles and ambient pressure at 22,000 ft, 6.25 psi, for aircraft. The lower avgas volatility reduces the chance of vapor lock in fuel lines at altitudes up to 22,000 ft. The particular mixtures in use today are

3100-502: Is little need for using diesel fuel in aircraft, and diesel fuel is not commercially used as aviation fuel. Instead, petrol ( Avgas ), and jet fuel (e. g. Jet A-1) are used. However, especially in the 1920s and 1930s, numerous series-production aircraft diesel engines that ran on fuel oils were made, because they had several advantages: their fuel consumption was low, they were reliable, not prone to catching fire, and required minimal maintenance. The introduction of petrol direct injection in

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3200-473: Is mainly paraffins with low sulfur and aromatics content. This material is blended often into the above mentions petroleum derived diesel. Biodiesel is obtained from vegetable oil or animal fats (bio lipids ) which are mainly fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), and transesterified with methanol . It can be produced from many types of oils, the most common being rapeseed oil (rapeseed methyl ester, RME) in Europe and soybean oil (soy methyl ester, SME) in

3300-483: Is manufactured to meet ASTM D7547. Many common Lycoming engines are certified to run on this particular grade of Avgas, and Cessna has approved the use of this fuel in a large number of their piston fleet. This fuel is also usable in any aircraft in Europe or the United Kingdom where the engine is certified to use it, whether or not the airframe is certified to do so, too. The firm Airworthy AutoGas tested an ethanol-free 93 anti-knock index (AKI) premium auto gas on

3400-542: Is not a fully viable replacement for avgas in many aircraft, because many high-performance and/or turbocharged airplane engines require 100 octane fuel and modifications are necessary in order to use lower-octane fuel. Many general aviation aircraft engines were designed to run on 80/87 octane, roughly the standard (as unleaded fuel only, with the "{R+M}/2" 87 octane rating) for North American automobiles today. Direct conversions to run on automotive fuel are fairly common, by supplemental type certificate (STC). However,

3500-493: Is produced from various sources, the most common being petroleum . Other sources include biomass , animal fat , biogas , natural gas , and coal liquefaction . Petroleum diesel is the most common type of diesel fuel. It is produced by the fractional distillation of crude oil between 200 and 350 °C (392 and 662 °F) at atmospheric pressure , resulting in a mixture of carbon chains that typically contain between 9 and 25 carbon atoms per molecule . This fraction

3600-416: Is required in their engines, and not unleaded auto fuels: "Current aircraft engines feature valve gear components which are designed for compatibility with the leaded ASTM D910 fuels. In such fuels, the lead acts as a lubricant, coating the contact areas between the valve, guide, and seat. The use of unleaded auto fuels with engines designed for leaded fuels can result in excessive exhaust valve seat wear due to

3700-476: Is similar to the anti-knock index or "pump rating" given to automotive gasoline in the US. The second number indicates the octane rating of the fuel tested to the " aviation rich " standard, which tries to simulate a supercharged condition with a rich mixture, elevated temperatures, and a high manifold pressure. For example, 100/130 avgas has an octane rating of 100 at the lean settings usually used for cruising and 130 at

3800-464: Is sometimes called petrodiesel in some academic circles. Diesel is a high-volume product of oil refineries. In many countries, diesel fuel is standardized. For example, in the European Union, the standard for diesel fuel is EN 590 . Ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) is a diesel fuel with substantially lowered sulfur contents. As of 2016, almost all of the petroleum-based diesel fuel available in

3900-421: Is standardised; the first standards were introduced after World War II. Typically, a standard defines certain properties of the fuel, such as cetane number , density , flash point , sulphur content, or biodiesel content. Diesel fuel standards include: Diesel fuel Biodiesel fuel The principal measure of diesel fuel quality is its cetane number . A cetane number is a measure of the delay of ignition of

4000-681: Is still in widespread use in certain regions. During development of rocket engines in Germany during World War II J-2 Diesel fuel was used as the fuel component in several engines including the BMW 109-718 . J-2 diesel fuel was also used as a fuel for gas turbine engines. In the United States, petroleum-derived diesel is composed of about 75% saturated hydrocarbons (primarily paraffins including n , iso , and cycloparaffins ), and 25% aromatic hydrocarbons (including naphthalenes and alkylbenzenes ). The average chemical formula for common diesel fuel

4100-414: Is subjected to hydrodesulfurization . Usually such "straight-run" diesel is insufficient in supply and quality, so other sources of diesel fuels are blended in. One major source of additional diesel fuel is obtained by cracking heavier fractions, using visbreaking and coking. This technology converts less useful fractions but the product contains olefins ( alkenes ) which require hydrogenation to give

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4200-428: Is susceptible to phase-separation which is very possible due to the altitude/temperature changes light airplanes undergo in ordinary flight. This ethanol-treated fuel can flood the fuel system with water which can cause in-flight engine failure. Additionally, the phase-separated fuel can leave remaining portions that do not meet octane requirements due to the loss of the ethanol in the water-absorption process. Further,

4300-474: Is thus suited for certain (but not all) diesel engines. Until World War II, several military vehicles, especially those that required high engine performance ( armored fighting vehicles , for example the M26 Pershing or Panther tanks), used conventional otto engines and ran on petrol. Ever since World War II, several military vehicles with diesel engines have been made, capable of running on diesel fuel. This

4400-469: Is used in the UK as a synonym for unmarked road diesel fuel. In India, taxes on diesel fuel are lower than on petrol, as the majority of the transportation for grain and other essential commodities across the country runs on diesel. Taxes on biodiesel in the US vary between states. Some states (Texas, for example) have no tax on biodiesel and a reduced tax on biodiesel blends equivalent to the amount of biodiesel in

4500-482: Is used: "When using the unleaded fuels identified in Table 1, Lycoming oil additive P/N LW-16702, or an equivalent finished product such as Aeroshell 15W-50, must be used." Lycoming also notes that the octane rating of the fuel used must also meet the requirements stated in the fuel specification, otherwise engine damage may occur due to detonation. Prior to 2022, Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) indicated that leaded avgas

4600-520: The Mercedes-Benz OM 138 , in the 1930s meant that higher-quality fuels with proper ignition characteristics were needed. At first no improvements were made to motor-vehicle diesel fuel quality. After World War II, the first modern high-quality diesel fuels were standardised. These standards were, for instance, the DIN 51601, VTL 9140–001, and NATO F 54 standards. In 1993, the DIN 51601 was rendered obsolete by

4700-464: The Stirling engine , or boilers for steam engines . Diesel is often used in heavy trucks . However, diesel exhaust , especially from older engines, can cause health damage. Diesel fuel has many colloquial names; most commonly, it is simply referred to as diesel . In the United Kingdom, diesel fuel for road use is commonly called diesel or sometimes white diesel if required to differentiate it from

4800-514: The UK ) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines . Avgas is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in motor vehicles , which is termed mogas (motor gasoline) in an aviation context. Unlike motor gasoline, which has been formulated without lead since the 1970s to allow the use of catalytic converters for pollution reduction, the most commonly used grades of avgas still contain tetraethyl lead ,

4900-433: The 1920s through 1940s, running either spark-ignition and low-compression engines, akryod engines, or diesel engines. Thus many farm tractors of the era could burn gasoline, alcohol , kerosene , and any light grade of fuel oil such as heating oil , or tractor vaporising oil , according to whichever was most affordable in a region at any given time. On US farms during this era, the name "distillate" often referred to any of

5000-541: The 1920s through 1950s, are now almost exclusively diesel-powered. Due to its ignition characteristics, diesel fuel is thus widely used in these vehicles. Since diesel fuel is not well-suited for otto engines, passenger cars, which often use otto or otto-derived engines, typically run on petrol instead of diesel fuel. However, especially in Europe and India, many passenger cars have, due to better engine efficiency, diesel engines, and thus run on regular diesel fuel. Diesel displaced coal and fuel oil for steam-powered vehicles in

5100-423: The 1930s outweighed these advantages, and aircraft diesel engines quickly fell out of use. With improvements in power-to-mass ratios of diesel engines, several on-road diesel engines have been converted to and certified for aircraft use since the early 21st century. These engines typically run on Jet A-1 aircraft fuel (but can also run on diesel fuel). Jet A-1 has ignition characteristics similar to diesel fuel, and

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5200-482: The Atlantic. The high octane ratings were traditionally achieved by the addition of tetraethyllead , a highly toxic substance that was phased out of automotive use in most countries in the late 20th century. Leaded avgas is currently available in several grades with differing maximum lead concentrations. (Unleaded avgas is also available.) Because tetraethyllead is a toxic additive, the minimum amount needed to bring

5300-545: The Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association collectively formed the Clean 100 Octane Coalition to represent them on this issue and push for unleaded 100 octane avgas. In November 2015, UL94 was added as a secondary grade of unleaded aviation gasoline to ASTM D7547, which is the specification that governs UL91 unleaded avgas. UL91 is currently being sold in Europe. UL94 meets all of the same specification property limits as 100LL with

5400-530: The Diesel engine being kerosene ( paraffin ). Diesel experimented with types of lamp oil from various sources, as well as types of petrol and ligroin , which all worked well as Diesel engine fuels. Later, Diesel tested coal tar creosote , paraffin oil, crude oil, gasoline and fuel oil , which eventually worked as well. In Scotland and France, shale oil was used as fuel for the first 1898 production Diesel engines because other fuels were too expensive. In 1900,

5500-584: The French Otto society built a Diesel engine for the use with crude oil, which was exhibited at the 1900 Paris Exposition and the 1911 World's Fair in Paris. The engine actually ran on peanut oil instead of crude oil, and no modifications were necessary for peanut oil operation. During his first Diesel engine tests, Diesel also used illuminating gas as fuel, and managed to build functional designs, both with and without pilot injection. According to Diesel, neither

5600-703: The SAIB, especially the August 2016 revision, eliminated the need for many of the UL94 STCs being sold by Swift Fuels, as the majority of the aircraft on the STC's Approved Model List are type-certified to use 80-octane or lower avgas. On April 6, 2017, Lycoming Engines published Service Instruction 1070V, which adds UL94 as an approved grade of fuel for dozens of engine models, 60% of which are carbureted engines. Engines with displacements of 235, 320, 360, and 540 cubic inches make up almost 90% of

5700-483: The UK, diesel is normally stored in a black container to differentiate it from unleaded or leaded petrol, which are stored in green and red containers, respectively. Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) is added to diesel as a "cold flow improver". 50-500 ppm of EVA inhibits crystallization of waxes, which can block fuel filters. Antifoaming agents ( silicones ), antioxidants ( hindered phenols ), and "metal deactivating agents" (salicylaldimines) are other additives. Their use

5800-449: The US use the so-called "(R + M)/2" averaged motor vehicle octane rating system as posted on gas station pumps. Sensitivity is roughly 8–10 points, meaning that a 91 AKI fuel might have a MON of as low as 86. The extensive testing process required to obtain an STC for the engine/airframe combination helps ensure that, for those eligible aircraft, 91 AKI fuel provides sufficient detonation margin under normal conditions. Automotive gasoline

5900-442: The US used leaded avgas. In Europe, avgas remains the most common piston-engine fuel. High prices have encouraged efforts to convert to diesel fuel , which is more readily available, less expensive, and has advantages for aviation use. Grades of avgas are identified by two numbers associated with its Motor Octane Number (MON) . The first number indicates the octane rating of the fuel tested to " aviation lean " standards, which

6000-452: The US. Methanol can also be replaced with ethanol for the transesterification process, which results in the production of ethyl esters. The transesterification processes use catalysts, such as sodium or potassium hydroxide, to convert vegetable oil and methanol into biodiesel and the undesirable byproducts glycerine and water, which will need to be removed from the fuel along with methanol traces. Biodiesel can be used pure (B100) in engines where

6100-449: The United Kingdom, mainland Europe, and North America is of a ULSD type. Before diesel fuel had been standardized, the majority of diesel engines typically ran on cheap fuel oils . These fuel oils are still used in watercraft diesel engines. Despite being specifically designed for diesel engines, diesel fuel can also be used as fuel for several non-diesel engines, for example the Akroyd engine ,

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6200-481: The United States. Swift Fuels has an agreement for distribution in Europe. UL94 is not intended to be a full replacement for 100LL, but rather is designed to be a drop-in replacement for aircraft with lower-octane-rated engines, such as those that are approved for operation on Grade 80 avgas (or lower), UL91, or mogas. It is estimated that up to 65% of the fleet of current general aviation piston-engine-powered aircraft can operate on UL94 with no modifications to either

6300-413: The aforementioned light fuel oils. Spark ignition engines did not start as well on distillate, so typically a small auxiliary gasoline tank was used for cold starting, and the fuel valves were adjusted several minutes later, after warm-up, to transition to distillate. Engine accessories such as vaporizers and radiator shrouds were also used, both with the aim of capturing heat, because when such an engine

6400-454: The airframe with different engine cowling and exhaust arrangements are applicable for the automotive fuel STC, and even then require fuel-system modifications. Vapor lock typically occurs in fuel systems where a mechanically-driven fuel pump mounted on the engine draws fuel from a tank mounted lower than the pump. The reduced pressure in the line can cause the more volatile components in automotive gasoline to flash into vapor, forming bubbles in

6500-405: The alloys used in aviation engine construction are chosen for their durability and synergistic relationship with the protective features of lead, and engine wear in the valves is a potential problem on automotive gasoline conversions. Fortunately, significant history of engines converted to mogas has shown that very few engine problems are caused by automotive gasoline . A larger problem stems from

6600-459: The aviation industry will be "forced out" of using 100LL in the near future, leaving automotive fuel and jet fuel as the only alternatives. In May 2010, TCM announced that they had licensed development of the SMA SR305 diesel engine. In November 2008, National Air Transportation Association president Jim Coyne indicated that the environmental impact of aviation is expected to be a big issue over

6700-680: The blend, so that B20 fuel is taxed 20% less than pure petrodiesel. Other states, such as North Carolina, tax biodiesel (in any blended configuration) the same as petrodiesel, although they have introduced new incentives to producers and users of all biofuels. Diesel fuel is mostly used in high-speed diesel engines, especially motor-vehicle (e.g. car, lorry) diesel engines, but not all diesel engines run on diesel fuel. For example, large two-stroke watercraft engines typically use heavy fuel oils instead of diesel fuel, and certain types of diesel engines, such as MAN M-System engines, are designed to run on petrol with knock resistances of up to 86 RON. On

6800-553: The decision to pursue 94UL as a mistake that could cost the aviation industry billions in lost business. Lycoming believes the industry should be pursuing 100UL instead. The Lycoming position is supported by aircraft type clubs representing owners of aircraft that would be unable to run on lower octane fuel. In June 2010, clubs such as the American Bonanza Society, the Malibu Mirage Owners and Pilots Association, and

6900-413: The engine or airframe. Some aircraft, however, do require a FAA -approved Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) to be purchased to allow for operation on UL94. UL94 has a minimum Motor octane number (MON, which is the octane rating employed for grading aviation gasoline) of 94.0. 100LL has a minimum MON of 99.6. AKI is the octane rating used to grade all U.S. automotive gasoline (typical values at

7000-531: The ethanol can attack materials in aircraft construction which pre-date "gasahol" fuels. Most of these applicable aircraft have low-compression engines which were originally certified to run on 80/87 avgas and require only "regular" 87 anti-knock index automotive gasoline. Examples include the popular Cessna 172 Skyhawk or Piper Cherokee with the 150 hp (110 kW) variant of the Lycoming O-320 . Some aircraft engines were originally certified using

7100-402: The exception of a lower motor octane number (94.0 minimum for UL94 vs. 99.6 minimum for 100LL) and a decreased maximum lead content. UL94 is an unleaded fuel, but as with all ASTM International unleaded gasoline specifications, a de minimis amount of unintentionally added lead is permitted. Since May 2016, UL94, now a product of Swift Fuels, is available for sale at dozens of airports in

7200-572: The fuel from renewable biomass feedstocks, and aims to produce something competitive in price with 100LL and currently available alternative fuels. Swift Fuels has suggested that the fuel, formerly referred to as 100SF, will be available for "high performance piston-powered aircraft" before 2020. John and Mary-Louise Rusek founded Swift Enterprises in 2001 to develop renewable fuels and hydrogen fuel cells. They began testing "Swift 142" in 2006 and patented several alternatives for non-alcohol based fuels which can be derived from biomass fermentation . Over

7300-524: The fuel line and interrupting fuel flow. If an electric boost pump is mounted in the fuel tank to push fuel toward the engine, as is common practice in fuel-injected automobiles, the fuel pressure in the lines is maintained above ambient pressure, preventing bubble formation. Likewise, if the fuel tank is mounted above the engine and fuel flows primarily due to gravity, as in a high-wing airplane, vapor lock cannot occur, using either aviation or automotive fuels. Fuel-injected engines in automobiles also usually have

7400-400: The fuel system can use up to 10% ethanol. Fuel dyes aid ground crew and pilots in identifying and distinguishing the fuel grades and most are specified by ASTM D910 or other standards. Dyes for the fuel are required in some countries. The 100LL phase-out has been called "one of modern GA's most pressing problems", because 70% of 100LL aviation fuel is used by the 30% of the aircraft in

7500-480: The fuel system, ensuring adequate shielding from high temperatures and maintaining sufficient pressure in the fuel lines. This is the main reason why both the specific engine model as well as the aircraft in which it is installed must be supplementally certified for the conversion. A good example of this is the Piper Cherokee with high-compression 160 or 180 hp (120 or 130 kW) engines. Only later versions of

7600-446: The fuel to the required octane rating is used; actual concentrations are often lower than the permissible maximum. Historically, many post-WWII developed, low-powered 4- and 6-cylinder piston aircraft engines were designed to use leaded fuels; an unleaded replacement fuel is being developed and certified for these engines. Some reciprocating-engine aircraft still require leaded fuels, but some do not, and some can burn unleaded gasoline if

7700-474: The general aviation fleet that cannot use any of the existing alternatives. There are three fundamental issues in using unleaded fuels without serious modification of the airframe/engine: In February 2008, Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) announced that the company is very concerned about future availability of 100LL, and as a result, they would develop a line of diesel engines . In a February 2008 interview, TCM president Rhett Ross indicated belief that

7800-436: The higher and wider range of allowable vapor pressures found in automotive gasoline; this can pose some risk to aviation users if fuel system design considerations are not taken into account. Automotive gasoline can vaporize in fuel lines, causing a vapor lock (a bubble in the line) or fuel pump cavitation, thereby starving the engine of fuel. This does not constitute an insurmountable obstacle, but merely requires examination of

7900-557: The lack of lead with cylinder performance deteriorating to unacceptable levels in under 10 hours." In 2022, TCM changed its policy. They have announced a formal application to the FAA to approve the use of UL91 and UL94 in selected engines, stating that "Continental considers 91UL and 94UL fuel as a transitional step in a long-term strategy to reach a more sustainable aviation". Hjelmco Oil first introduced unleaded Avgas grades in Europe in 2003, after its success with 80UL. This grade of Avgas

8000-425: The latter half of the 20th century, and is now used almost exclusively for the combustion engines of self-powered rail vehicles (locomotives and railcars). In general, diesel engines are not well-suited for planes and helicopters. This is because of the diesel engine's comparatively low power-to-mass ratio , meaning that diesel engines are typically rather heavy, which is a disadvantage in aircraft. Therefore, there

8100-658: The lower-powered (100–150 horsepower or 75–112 kilowatts) aviation engines that were developed in the late 1990s are designed to run on unleaded fuel and on 100LL, an example being the Rotax 912 . Automotive gasoline  – known as mogas or autogas among aviators – that does not contain ethanol may be used in certified aircraft that have a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for automotive gasoline, as well as in experimental aircraft and ultralight aircraft . Some oxygenates other than ethanol are approved, but these STC's prohibit ethanol-laced gasolines. Ethanol-treated gasoline

8200-485: The manufacturer approves such use, but it is more often used as a mix with diesel, BXX where XX is the biodiesel content in percent. FAME used as fuel is specified in DIN EN 14214 and ASTM D6751 standards. In the US, diesel is recommended to be stored in a yellow container to differentiate it from kerosene , which is typically kept in blue containers, and gasoline (petrol), which is typically kept in red containers. In

8300-455: The models approved for UL94. Swift Fuels, LLC, has attained approval to produce fuel for testing at its pilot plant in Indiana. Composed of approximately 85% mesitylene and 15% isopentane , the fuel is reportedly scheduled for extensive testing by the FAA to receive certification under the new ASTM D7719 guideline for unleaded 100LL replacement fuels. The company eventually intends to produce

8400-443: The new EN 590 standard, which has been used in the European Union ever since. In sea-going watercraft, where diesel propulsion had gained prevalence by the late 1970s due to increasing fuel costs caused by the 1970s energy crisis , cheap heavy fuel oils are still used instead of conventional motor-vehicle diesel fuel. These heavy fuel oils (often called Bunker C ) can be used in diesel-powered and steam-powered vessels. Diesel fuel

8500-545: The next few years and will result in the phasing out of 100LL because of its lead content. By May 2012, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA Unleaded Avgas Transition rulemaking committee) had put together a plan in conjunction with industry to replace leaded avgas with an unleaded alternative within 11 years. Given the progress already made on 100SF and G100UL, the replacement time might be shorter than that 2023 estimate. Each candidate fuel must meet

8600-426: The next several years, the company sought to build a pilot plant to produce enough fuel for larger-scale testing and submitted fuel to the FAA for testing. Diesel fuel Diesel fuel , also called diesel oil , heavy oil (historically) or simply diesel , is a liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine , a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without

8700-406: The operating principle of his rational heat motor would work with any kind of fuel in any state of matter. The first diesel engine prototype and the first functional Diesel engine were only designed for liquid fuels. At first, Diesel tested crude oil from Pechelbronn , but soon replaced it with petrol and kerosene , because crude oil proved to be too viscous, with the main testing fuel for

8800-598: The other hand, gas turbine and some other types of internal combustion engines, and external combustion engines , can also be designed to take diesel fuel. The viscosity requirement of diesel fuel is usually specified at 40 °C. A disadvantage of diesel fuel in cold climates is that its viscosity increases as the temperature decreases, changing it into a gel (see Compression Ignition – Gelling ) that cannot flow in fuel systems. Special low-temperature diesel contains additives to keep it liquid at lower temperatures. Trucks and buses , which were often otto-powered in

8900-414: The past, diesel fuel contained higher quantities of sulfur . European emission standards and preferential taxation have forced oil refineries to dramatically reduce the level of sulfur in diesel fuels. In the European Union, the sulfur content has dramatically reduced during the last 20 years. Automotive diesel fuel is covered in the European Union by standard EN 590 . In the 1990s specifications allowed

9000-421: The petrol fuel tax. Diesel fuel is similar to heating oil , which is used in central heating . In Europe, the United States, and Canada, taxes on diesel fuel are higher than on heating oil due to the fuel tax , and in those areas, heating oil is marked with fuel dyes and trace chemicals to prevent and detect tax fraud . "Untaxed" diesel (sometimes called "off-road diesel" or "red diesel" due to its red dye)

9100-466: The pump can include 87, 89, 91, and 93), and also the 93UL fuel from Airworthy AutoGas. The minimum AKI of UL94, as sold by Swift Fuels, is 98.0. Concurrent with the addition of UL94 to ASTM D7547, the FAA published Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) HQ-16-05, which states that "UL94 meets the operating limitations or aircraft and engines approved to operate with grade UL91 avgas," meaning that "Grade UL94 avgas that meets specification D7547

9200-427: The rich settings used for take-off and other full-power conditions. Antiknock agents such as tetraethyl lead (TEL) help to control detonation and provide lubrication. One gram of TEL contains 640.6 milligrams of lead . ("avgas 100") ("avgas 100LL") ("avgas 115") 100LL (pronounced "one hundred low lead") may contain a maximum of one-half the tetraethyllead allowed in 100/130 (green) avgas. Some of

9300-665: The same as when they were first developed in the 1940s, and were used in airline and military aero engines with high levels of supercharging ; notably the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine used in the Spitfire and Hurricane fighters, Mosquito fighter-bomber and Lancaster heavy bomber (the Merlin II and later versions required 100-octane fuel), as well as the liquid-cooled Allison V-1710 engine, and air-cooled radial engines from Pratt & Whitney, Wright, and other manufacturers on both sides of

9400-503: The saturated hydrocarbons as desired. Another refinery stream that contributes to diesel fuel is hydrocracking . Finally, kerosene is added to modify its viscosity. Synthetic diesel can be produced from many carbonaceous precursors but natural gas is most important. Raw materials are converted to synthesis gas which by the Fischer–Tropsch process is converted to a synthetic diesel. Synthetic diesel produced in this way generally

9500-511: The smaller classes may also offer gasoline-fuelled engines. The dieselization of tractors and heavy equipment began in Germany before World War II but was unusual in the United States until after that war. During the 1950s and 1960s, it progressed in the US as well. Diesel fuel is commonly used in oil and gas extracting equipment, although some locales use electric or natural gas powered equipment. Tractors and heavy equipment were often multifuel in

9600-509: The use of nuclear fuel . Diesel fuel is often used as the main ingredient in oil-base mud drilling fluid. The advantage of using diesel is its low cost and its ability to drill a wide variety of difficult strata, including shale, salt and gypsum formations. Diesel-oil mud is typically mixed with up to 40% brine water. Due to health, safety and environmental concerns, Diesel-oil mud is often replaced with vegetable, mineral, or synthetic food-grade oil-base drilling fluids, although diesel-oil mud

9700-602: The user can be fined (e.g. US$ 10,000 in the US). In the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands, it is known as red diesel (or gas oil), and is also used in agricultural vehicles, home heating tanks, refrigeration units on vans/trucks which contain perishable items such as food and medicine and for marine craft. Diesel fuel, or marked gas oil is dyed green in the Republic of Ireland and Norway. The term "diesel-engined road vehicle" (DERV)

9800-484: Was a coal-dust–producing industry existent, nor was fine, high-quality coal-dust commercially available in the late 1890s. This is the reason why the Diesel engine was never designed or planned as a coal-dust engine. Only in December 1899, did Diesel test a coal-dust prototype, which used external mixture formation and liquid fuel pilot injection. This engine proved to be functional, but suffered from piston ring failure after

9900-400: Was developed as essentially automotive gasoline with additional quality tracking and restrictions on permissible additives. This fuel is not currently in production and no refiners have committed to producing it. Rotax allows up to 10% ethanol (similar to E10 fuel for cars) in the fuel for Rotax 912 engines. Light sport aircraft that are specified by the manufacturer to tolerate alcohol in

10000-494: Was run on distillate, it ran better when both it and the air it inhaled were warmer rather than at ambient temperature. Dieselization with dedicated diesel engines (high-compression with mechanical fuel injection and compression ignition) replaced such systems and made more efficient use of the diesel fuel being burned. Poor quality diesel fuel has been used as an extraction agent for liquid–liquid extraction of palladium from nitric acid mixtures. Such use has been proposed as

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