A comparative experimental investigation has been performed, comparing the emissions from a synthetic jet fuel and from Jet A1. In the investigation, the unburned hydrocarbons were analyzed chemically and the regulated emissions of NOx, CO and HC were measured. All combustion tests were performed under elevated pressures in a gas turbine combustor rig. A Swedish company, Oroboros AB, has developed a novel clean synthetic jet fuel, LeanJet®. The fuel is produced synthetically from synthesis gas by a Fischer-Tropsch process. Except for the density, the fuel conforms to the Standard Specification for Aviation Turbine Fuels. The low density is due to the lack of aromatics and polyaromatics. Organic emissions from the gas turbine combustor rig were collected by adsorption sampling and analyzed chemically. Both the fuels and the organic emissions were analyzed by gas chromatography/flame ionization (GC/FID) complemented with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Under the operating conditions investigated, no significant differences were found for the regulated emissions, except for emission of CO from the synthetic fuel, which, at leaner conditions, was one-quarter of that measured for Jet A1. Detailed analysis of the organic compounds showed that the emissions from both fuels were dominated by fuel alkanes and a significant amount of naphthalene. It was also found that Jet A1 produced a much higher amount of benzene than the synthetic fuel.
Fischer-Tropsch and Conventional Jet Fuel Blending