Jet fuel

<p>Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF, also abbreviated avtur) is a type of <a href="/facts/Aviation_fuel/XGW64rro">aviation fuel</a> designed for use in <a href="/facts/Aircraft/EhC4mBep">aircraft</a> powered by <a href="/facts/Gas_turbine/JJJNwXrG">gas-turbine engines</a>. 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.
</p><p>Jet fuel is a mixture of a variety of <a href="/facts/Hydrocarbon/Dcg95Ju5">hydrocarbons</a>. 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. 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. <a href="/facts/Kerosene/DoHPYXKp">Kerosene</a>-type jet fuel (including Jet A and Jet A-1, JP-5, and JP-8) has a <a href="/facts/Carbon_number/JCD3VTXV">carbon number</a> distribution between about 8 and 16 (carbon atoms per molecule); wide-cut or <a href="/facts/Naphtha/DpzLNMey">naphtha</a>-type jet fuel (including Jet B and JP-4), between about 5 and 15.
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Jet fuel open-in-new

Jet fuel