# SAIB HQ-18-30R2: Engine Fuel and Control - Jet Fuel Aromatic Hydrocarbon Limits - Type: Special airworthiness information bulletin (advisory, not mandatory) - Status: Current - Revision: 0 - Issued: February 4, 2020 - Products: Fuel Jet fuel - Product type: Appliance - PDF: https://openairdocs.org/files/sha256/44/24/4424ec9c6a2b300265f25a70a1a28a61a0c23028eea6fd56d2a16f37528e769c - FAA DRS: https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/BF380972A479600D86258504006DF876.0001 - DRS record last changed: February 4, 2020 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/saib/HQ-18-30R2 ## Text FAA Aviation Safety **SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS** INFORMATION BULLETIN SUBJ: Engine Fuel and Control – Jet Fuel Aromatic Hydrocarbon Limits SAIB: HQ-18-30R2 Date: February 4, 2020 This is information only. Recommendations aren’t mandatory. Introduction This revised Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) advises airplane operators, fixed base operators (FBOs), FAA repair stations, Flight Standards District Offices (FSDOs), and foreign civil aviation authorities of defective dye lots that jet fuel suppliers should be aware of when conducting key fuel property tests required for compliance with FAA-approved jet fuel operating limitations. These operating limitations require the measurement of aromatic hydrocarbon concentration in accordance with methods specified by the type certificate (TC) holder. The FAA has not received any reports of jet fuel being delivered to aircraft with improperly measured or missing properties, but owners and operators of turbine engine-powered aircraft should advise jet fuel suppliers that they cannot use fuel that has not had this property measured in accordance with the specified ASTM methods. At this time, the airworthiness concern is not considered an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive (AD) action under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR) part 39. This revision identifies dye lot numbers that should not be used for the measurement of aromatic concentration and identifies two new test methods that will soon be available. Background The FAA relies on ASTM International to develop aviation fuel specifications and test methods that TC holders may designate as operating limitations for their approved products. The TC holders may also use these ASTM specifications and test methods to develop their own documents, such as company specifications, service bulletins and instructions, or other documents, they designate as jet fuel operating limitations. These aviation fuel operating limitations may be listed in the product’s type certificate data sheet (TCDS), installation manual, service instructions, or as limitations associated with a supplemental type certificate (STC). Aircraft and jet engine TC holders almost exclusively designate ASTM Standard Specification D1655, “Standard Specification for Aviation Turbine Fuels,” or company documents based on this specification, as a jet fuel operating limitation. ASTM D1655, and the associated company documents, specifies a maximum allowable concentration of aromatics of 25 volume percent measured by the ASTM Standard Test Method D13191, “Standard Test Method for Hydrocarbon Types in Liquid Petroleum Products by Fluorescent Indicator Adsorption.” However, production lot numbers 3000000975 through 3000000980 of a dye necessary to conduct the ASTM D1319 test were improperly formulated and will not provide an accurate measurement of the aromatic 1 The information and recommendations of this SAIB also apply to test method IP 156 , “Determination of Hydrocarbon Types in Petroleum Products - Fluorescent indicator adsorption method,” available from the Energy Institute, 61 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 7AR, UK. IP 156 is specified in ASTM D1655 as an equivalent test method for measurement of aromatics. concentration. ASTM D1655 also references test method ASTM D63792, “Standard Test Method for Determination of Aromatic Hydrocarbon Types in Aviation Fuels and Petroleum Distillates— High Performance Liquid Chromatography Method with Refractive Index Detection,” which specifies a maximum allowable concentration of aromatics of 26.5 volume percent, but this method is rarely used, is not widely available, and is expensive to run. Two additional test methods for measurement of the aromatics concentration in jet fuel are expected to be added to ASTM D1655 by mid-2020. These test methods are ASTM D8267, “Standard Test Method for Determination of Total Aromatic, Monoaromatic and Diaromatic Content of Aviation Turbine Fuels Using Gas Chromatography with Vacuum Ultraviolet Absorption Spectroscopy Detection (GC-VUV)”, and ASTM D8305, “Standard Test Method for Determination of the Aromatic Content and Polynuclear Aromatic Content of Aviation Turbine Fuels by Supercritical Fluid Chromatography,” Upon incorporation into ASTM D1655, jet fuel suppliers may use these test methods to measure the aromatic concentration of jet fuel. Aromatic hydrocarbons are limited in jet fuel because they emit more radiant energy during combustion than paraffinic hydrocarbons. At high concentrations, this can have an adverse effect on turbine engine combustor durability. They also produce more smoke and harmful particulate emissions than paraffinic hydrocarbons and are limited due to environmental concerns. Jet fuel that has not been tested for aromatics concentration in accordance with ASTM D1319, alternative test method ASTM D6379, test methods ASTM D8267 or D8305 (after incorporation into ASTM D1655), or that has been tested with ASTM D1319 with a dye from lot numbers 3000000975 through 3000000980, no longer meets the aviation fuel operating limitations of airplanes certificated to operate on Jet A or Jet A-1 fuel, and therefore, cannot be used on those airplanes. The FAA has received reports that refiners and other fuel handlers are finding it difficult to locate testing facilities that can conduct the ASTM D1319 test due to the dye shortage. However, we anticipate that the existing quality control procedures in the jet fuel supply chain will prevent untested fuel from being supplied to aircraft. Operators should continue to operate within their existing aviation fuel handling procedures unless advised by their fuel supplier that the fuel does not meet the specification requirements. Recommendations The FAA recommends that owners and operators of turbine engine-powered aircraft advise fuel suppliers that operators may only use jet fuel that has been tested for aromatics concentration in accordance with one of the following methods: 1. ASTM D1319 with a dye other than lot numbers 3000000975 through 3000000980, or 2. ASTM D6379, or 3. ASTM D8267 or D8305, but only after incorporation into ASTM D1655 For Further Information Contact Mark Rumizen, Senior Technical Specialist, FAA, 1200 District Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803; mobile: (781) 402-4609; fax: (781) 238-7199; email: mark.rumizen@faa.gov. 2 The information and recommendations of this SAIB also apply to test method IP 436 , “Determination of Aromatic Hydrocarbon Types in Aviation Fuels and Petroleum Distillates - High Performance Liquid Chromatography Method with Refractive Index Detection,” available from the Energy Institute, 61 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 7AR, UK. IP 436 is specified in ASTM D1655 as an equivalent test method for measurement of aromatics. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.