Aviation Fuel Storage and Freight

The specifications we work to

Two specifications cover most of the jet fuel we handle. ASTM D1655 defines Jet A, used mainly in the United States, and Jet A-1. DEF STAN 91-091 defines Jet A-1 as supplied in much of the rest of the world. Joint airport fueling systems often apply a combined checklist, AFQRJOS, that takes the stricter requirement from each. Upstream of the airport, EI/JIG Standard 1530 sets out quality assurance for manufacture, storage and distribution.

The table shows headline limits only. Both specifications contain many more properties, test methods and conditions, and both are revised regularly. We test each batch against the current issue named in your contract, not against a summary like this one.

Dedicated handling, start to finish

Jet fuel is kept apart from everything else. That means tanks, lines, pumps and filters used only for jet, with design features that let water and dirt be found and removed rather than carried forward. Checks are frequent and recorded, because a skipped water drain is where most contamination starts.

• Dedicated tanks and lines, never shared with other grades
• Floating suction that draws product from near the surface, above settled water
• Sloped tank bottoms with low-point sumps for water draining
• Epoxy-lined tank interiors to limit rust and particulates
• Filter water separators qualified to EI 1581 on delivery lines
• Regular sump drains with a recorded clear-and-bright check

Batch traceability and recertification

Each batch arrives with a refinery certificate of quality or a certificate of analysis. When it moves into a terminal tank, it is allowed to settle, then sampled and tested again. Recertification testing, as described in EI/JIG 1530, confirms that key properties have not changed in transit and that the batch can be released.

The new results are compared with the original certificate. A property that has moved beyond the allowed difference stops the batch. Each release carries a document trail linking the delivered volume back to the original refinery batch under one tracking number.

Moving jet fuel

Every mode brings its own risk. Multiproduct pipelines and shared marine cargoes are the usual route for trace contamination, including fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) from biodiesel, which both main specifications limit to 50 mg/kg. We check previous cargoes for tankers and barges, manage interfaces on pipeline batches, and use dedicated or properly cleaned trucks and rail cars.

Synthetic blending components such as HEFA-SPK are produced under ASTM D7566 and blended with conventional jet within that specification's limits. Once blended and certified, the fuel is treated as ASTM D1655 jet and follows the same quality chain. We keep records for the neat component and the blend.