Zip fuel

Zip fuel, also known as high energy fuel (HEF), is any member of a family of <a href="/facts/Jet_fuel/4CDswF3t">jet fuels</a> containing additives in the form of hydro-boron compounds, or <a href="/facts/Boranes/wu3RTzUS">boranes</a>. Zip fuels offer higher energy density than conventional fuels, helping extend the range of jet aircraft. In the 1950s, when the short range of jet aircraft was a major problem for military planners, zip fuels were a topic of significant study.
A number of aircraft were designed to make use of zip, including the <a href="/facts/XB-70_Valkyrie/V0lIqFU6">XB-70 Valkyrie</a>, <a href="/facts/XF-108_Rapier/lo9RBtzk">XF-108 Rapier</a>, as well as the <a href="/facts/Bomarc_Missile_Program/zGNGyw07">BOMARC</a>, and even the <a href="/facts/Nuclear-powered_aircraft/8LuGIan7">nuclear-powered aircraft</a> program. The Navy considered converting all of their jet engines to zip and began studies of converting their <a href="/facts/Aircraft_carrier/90vrSN0V">aircraft carriers</a> to safely store it.
In testing, the fuels proved to have several serious problems, and the entire effort was eventually cancelled in 1959.

Zip fuel open-in-new

Zip fuel