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Why is kerosene used instead of petrol as a jet fuel?
One of the primary reasons as to why jets rely on kerosene is due to its low freezing point. Aviation kerosene has a freezing point of -47 °C. As a result, planes need to use fuel with a low freezing point – like kerosene – so the fuel functions properly without solidifying during the flight.
Why petrol is not used in aircraft?
Airplanes have severe weight constraints, and at high altitudes it is very cold. It would be difficult to keep diesel fuel warm enough to stay liquid at high altitude. Petrol is volatile and expensive, so it’s not used in jet engines (much, some military engines use weird fuels a bit like petrol).
Do fighter jets run on kerosene?
Originally Answered: Is it true that the fighter jets use kerosene as fuel?? Yes. Jet fuel is basically specially refined kerosene with various kinds of additives, typically to reduce the flashpoint, improve viscosity, decrease the effects of temperature fluctuations, etc. Yes, it’s basically kerosene.
What’s the difference between jet fuel and kerosene?
Depending on the grade, jet fuel is basically highly refined kerosene. The kerosene and paraffin difference is that the paraffin is a component of kerosene, and when petroleum refining is complete, it remains as a waxy residue.
Is kerosene more flammable than gasoline?
Kerosene is less volatile than gasoline. Its flash point (the temperature at which it will generate a flammable vapour near its surface) is 38 °C (100 °F) or higher, whereas that of gasoline is as low as −40 °C (−40 °F). This property makes kerosene a relatively safe fuel to store and handle.
Why don’t jet engines use kerosene instead of gasoline?
The very high temperatures of jet engines cause gasoline to be a poor fuel because it tends to burn too fast. Kerosene, which is routinely called “Fuel OIL” some places, avoids pre-ignition problems (and some safety hazards) just like higher-octane gas avoids spark-plug knocking.
How does liquid hydrogen fuel compare to kerosene?
In addition, liquid hydrogen beats kerosene by over three times in terms of energy density by mass, although it is about 1/4 the energy density in terms of volume, but couldn’t the rocket just be built taller to accommodate the extra volume, and still retain a lower total mass since the fuel makes up most of the rocket’s weight?
What is jet fuel made of?
Jet fuel is 98\% kerosene and 2\% some additives. The reason for kerosene is that it is the “goldilocks” composition for the things that we expect jets to do: Gasoline starts easier when cold, but boils easily when sitting on a 55 ºC runway or at high altitude. It’s also more likely to burn in an accident.
Why are jet engines so picky about fuel?
$\\begingroup$ Perhaps nice to mention why piston engines are so picky: gasoline should only ignite when you hold a spark to it; diesel should ignite immediately when it’s sprayed into a hot cylinder. In a jet engine, fuel is sprayed into apocalyptic burning conditions anyway, so one can have a less ‘picky’ fuel.