AeroShell Performance Additive 101

Shell Aviation's Aeroshell Performance Additive 101, developed for the USAF JP-8 + 100 programme for high temperature, high performance jet fuel, helps improve engine reliability, while reducing overall operating and maintenance costs.

AeroShell Performance Additive 101 is a unique, patented jet fuel additive designed to improve the thermal stability of military jet fuels. An extensive testing programme has demonstrated engine performance improvements and substantial cost savings.

AeroShell Performance Additive 101 is the first product to meet the goals of the U.S. Air Force JP-8 + 100 Project. It has been field tested at active Air Force and Air National Guard locations and is now available to non-US military customers.

In today's military aircraft, standard jet fuel can break down and form deposits on metal surfaces, when thermally stressed to temperatures above 150 deg C (300_F). In the next generation of military aircraft, the need for jet fuel to be able to disperse heat will more than double. This more severe environment will require substantially improved fuel stability. In a variety of static and dynamic laboratory tests, along with advanced simulator rigs, Shell Aviation's AeroShell additive programme has already demonstrated a minimum of 55 deg C (100_F) improvement over today's jet fuel in both the bulk and wetted wall areas of aircraft fuel systems.

Afterburner (reheat) malfunctions are dangerous and can place pilots and their equipment in jeopardy. Failures to ignite, resulting in engine "bangs", can cause mechanical damage, place pilots at risk, and in combat potentially mean the split-second difference between life and death. AeroShell Performance Additive 101 has been field tested in a wide range of high performance jet engines as pat of the USAF JP-8 + 100 Programme and has shown that it significantly reduces these malfunctions - by as much as 80%*.

Reports of after-burner and other fuel related malfunctions usually trigger a mandatory inspection to duplicate and correct the malfunction before the engine can be put back into active service. These engine inspections are costly but necessary to ensure pilot safety and aircraft integrity. In military field testing, continuous use of AeroShell Performance Additive 101 dramatically reduced the frequency of these fuel related incidents and consequently lowered the cost of engine removals by as much as 50%*.

Carbon build-up (coking) can create back pressure in fuel manifolds, as well as distort fuel nozzle spray patterns. Altered flame patterns can contribute to metal fatigue in both the combustion and turbine sections of the engine. High engine cycle fatigue often occurs. In severe cases, turbine damage leading to catastrophic engine failure is possible.

Coke build up along the walls of the fuel manifold system can cause changes in hydraulic pressure and contribute to erratic fuel controller performance. In "real world" field testing, AeroShell Performance Additive 101 has minimised equipment replacement costs by reducing coking, allowing optimum performance levels to be achieved.

Following the introduction of an AeroShell additive programme, hot engine sections, from the combustion zone through the afterburner tail exhaust, previously covered with light carbon deposits, have actually cleaned up and remained clean. Visual inspection of aircraft tail sections, combined with field boroscope inspections of fuel manifolds and nozzles have confirmed this benefit.

Keeping the fuel system and jet engine clean from carbon deposits caused by the thermal stressing of jet fuel can reduce overall engine maintenance costs by as much as 70% per flight hour*. Combine this with improved aircraft readiness, and the full benefit of AeroShell Performance Additive 101 can add up to a first-class return on investment.

AeroShell Performance Additive 101 should be applied at the truck or vehicle refuelling operation using an injector system to meter the additive flow. Care should be taken if moving the injection point further up the refuelling process (such as into bulk storage tanks) in order to avoid deactivation of water coalescer systems.

DO NOT MIX with other aviation fuel additives unless compatibility has been checked with Shell Aviation.

The recommended dose rate for AeroShell Performance Additive 101 in JP-8 IN 256 ppm (mg/litre) or 1:4000. The product is oil soluble with good low temperature handling characteristics and can be injected undiluted in its delivered form.

AeroShell Performance Additive 101 should be used in conjunction with a monitoring program designed to focus on fuel-related malfunctions. It is usual to measure the actual number of malfunctions, average time between occurrences, and the reduction in maintenance and labour costs. An additional measure is the effect on fleet readiness rate after treatment.

Caution: before using AeroShell Performance Additive 101, check with the aircraft/engine manufacturer to determine if the additive is approved for use in their equipment or, if not, under what terms and conditions the additive might be evalued.

To learn more about how your operation can benefit today from the advanced technology of AeroShell jet fuel additives, contact Shell Aviation Limited, Shell Centre, York Road, London SE1 7NA, telephone +44 (0)20 7934 8225, fax + 44 (0)20 7934 7855.