Microbial Growth in Aircraft Fuel Storage
Microbial Growth in Aircraft Fuel Storage
Overview
Every day millions of gallons of aircraft fuel are used to facilitate flights of personal and commercial aircraft. This aircraft fuel must be stored and transported based upon the numbers and types of flights occurring. While airlines, airports and fuel service companies do their best to ensure the fuel stays clean, the reality is that many contaminants can infect the fuel either during storage or transport. Water, air and soil are the primary culprits for contamination.
Any time fuel and water come into contact, certain bacteria and fungi can grow and propagate quickly. The most destructive microbe in aircraft fuel is the fungus Hormocconis resinae. It produces far more biomass that single-cell yeasts and molds and is the most common cause of microbial corrosion in aircraft fuel tanks.
Microbial growth produces a sludge-like substance that can cause corrosion on steel and aluminum surfaces and attack rubber fuel system components. Additionally, microbial growth can also contaminate filters and system instrumentation.
While modern techniques ensure that aircraft fuel is almost totally free of undissolved water upon entering the aircraft, temperature variations on the ground and in flight can result in condensation that build up to form a water bottom. Additionally, long-term storage facilities are at risk due to potential aircraft fuel degradation or the risk of microbial growth in untreated diesel and jet fuel.
Left untreated, microbial growth can cause major problems, including:
Contaminated fuel
Additive degradation
Structural damage
Filter plugging
Slime growth
Fortunately, there are treatments and preventative measures that can be taken to ensure clean fuel is readily available.
Treatment and Prevention
An important aspect of maintaining high quality in aircraft fuel is the design of the fueling system. This system must minimize the potential for fuel contamination. The current practice is to coat the internal areas of the piping, storage tanks and major equipment using high solids epoxy paint effective for hydrocarbon immersion service. The slick surface will minimize corrosion and sediment build-up on the majority of equipment surfaces.
In the case of long-term storage storage facilities, treating aircraft fuel with the element boron will often get rid of the microbial growth. However, the boron levels must be monitored to avoid over-treating the fuel. This is easily accomplished through routine sampling and testing, and is particularly important to perform regularly on storage tanks and aircraft that have been grounded for extended periods.
There are additives available that will also get rid of microbial growth. These additives will quickly eliminate all kinds of microbial contamination, often within hours of use. Additionally, they allow the aircraft fuel to remain protected over long periods of time while resisting additional contamination of other sources.
Fuel tanks and sumps should be drained of water regularly and checked for slime growth. This will reduce the likelihood of microbial contamination. It is important to remember to cap fuel lines during maintenance operations to prevent particulates from entering the system. Otherwise, the maintenance process designed to prevent issues can actually cause them.
Field kits can assist in both detecting the presence and contamination source of microbial growth. Additionally, there are field kits available to monitor for early warning signs that provide an opportunity to proactively treat for microbial growth.
While aircraft fuel contaminants can prove difficult to control, employing a solid fuel quality monitoring system through a series of tests will ensure that aircraft fuel stays clean. Whether in the aircraft or stored in a long-term facility, it is important to understand the potential of microbial growth, taking appropriate measures to search for it, and then removing any sludge, thereby keeping the fuel microbial free.
Keeping your fuel storage clean with scheduled inspection and maintenance can prevent hazardous situation and grounding of aircraft for longer periods of time, disrupting your operations.
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