Aircraft
Certification Service Washington, DC U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration
NE-11-56 R3
March 18, 2020
This is information only. Recommendations
aren’t mandatory.
Introduction
This Revised Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) advises
aircraft operators, fixed base operators, certificated repair
facilities, Flight Standard District Offices, Certificate Management
Offices, and Foreign Civil Aviation Authorities that jet fuel made from
the following synthetic blending components that meet the requirements
of ASTM International Standard D7566 are acceptable for use on aircraft
and engines certificated for operation with D1655 Jet A or Jet A-1 jet
fuel if they are re-identified as D1655 fuel:
hydroprocessed fatty acid esters and fatty acids (HEFA),
synthesized isoparaffins (SIP),
Fischer Tropsch synthesized kerosene with aromatics (FT-SPK/A), and
alcohol to jet (ATJ), and
catalytic hydrothermolysis jet (CHJ).
When D7566 jet fuels are
re-identified as D1655 fuel, they meet all the specification
requirements of D1655 fuel and, therefore, meet the approved operating
limitations for aircraft and engines certificated to operate with D1655
fuel, unless otherwise prohibited by the engine or aircraft type
certificate (TC) holder. We are revising this SAIB to add CHJ as a
synthetic blending component that conforms to ASTM International
Standard D7566.
Background
The FAA relies on ASTM International to develop fuel specifications
that applicants may designate as operating limitations for their
approved products. 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.
ASTM International issued ASTM Standard Specification D7566, “Standard
Specification for Aviation Turbine Fuel Containing Synthesized
Hydrocarbons,” for drop-in jet fuel from alternative feedstocks in
September 2009. This specification defines properties for
semi-synthetic jet fuel made from blending conventional jet fuel with
synthetic blending components that are specified in individual annexes.
These semi-synthetic jet fuels, specified in D7566, possess essentially
identical composition, properties, and performance to conventional jet
fuels. This specification currently includes five annexes describing
synthetic blending components:
Annex A1, issued in
September 2009, specifies properties for synthetic fuel from coal,
biomass, and natural gas produced using the FT-SPK process.
Annex A2, issued in July 2011, specifies properties for synthetic fuel from organic oils using the HEFA process.
Annex A3, issued in June 2014, specifies properties for synthetic fuel from fermentable sugars using the SIP process.
Annex A4, issued in November
2015, specifies properties for synthetic fuel with aromatics from coal,
biomass, and natural gas produced using the FT-SPK/A process.
Annex A5, issued in April 2016, specifies properties for synthetic fuel from alcohol using the ATJ process.
Annex A6, issued in December 2019, specifies properties for synthetic fuel from organic oils using the CHJ process.
Both D7566 and the existing
specification for conventional jet fuel, ASTM International Standard
D1655, “Standard Specification for Aviation Turbine Fuels,” are
cross-referenced to allow D7566 fuels to be re-identified as D1655
fuels when they enter the distribution system. When re-identified,
D7566 fuels made with FT-SPK, HEFA, SIP, FT-SPK/A, ATJ, or CHJ blending
components meet existing FAA-approved operating limitations, unless
otherwise prohibited by the engine or aircraft TC holder.
Recommendations
The following recommendations apply to FT-SPK, HEFA, SIP, FT-SPK/A,
ATJ, or CHJ fuels that meet ASTM specification D7566 and are
re-identified to ASTM D1655 Jet A or Jet A-1 fuels (unless otherwise
prohibited by the engine or aircraft TC holder):
These fuels are acceptable
for use on those aircraft and engines that are approved to operate with
Jet A or Jet A-1 fuels that meet the D1655 standard.
Aircraft Flight Manuals,
Pilot Operating Instructions, or TCDSs that specify ASTM D1655 Jet A or
Jet A-1 fuel as an operating limitation do not require revision to use
these fuels.
Current aircraft placards
that specify Jet A or Jet A-1 fuels do not require revision and are
acceptable for use with these fuels.
Operating, maintenance, or
other service documents for aircraft and engines that are approved to
operate with ASTM D1655 Jet A or Jet A-1 fuel do not require revision
and are acceptable for use when operating with these fuels.
There are no additional or
revised maintenance actions, inspections, or service requirements
necessary when operating with these fuels.
For Further Information Contact
Mark Rumizen, Senior Technical Specialist, FAA Alternative Fuels
Program Staff, AIR-600, 1200 District Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803;
phone: 781-402-4609; fax: 781-238-7199; email: mark.rumizen@faa.gov.