Bold added for emphisis.
This was what was needed to fix the wear issues associated with JP-8 fuel... Shortly after, AFT began it's SBIR R & D series.
UNCLAS: Dist A. Approved for public release
JP-8 is the United States Army’s fuel of choice for use on the battlefield. It was so designated by the
Department of Defense in its “Single Fuel Forward” policy in 1988.
JP-8 properties
JP-8 properties are defined in MIL-DTL-83133. Copies of this standard are available at the Defense
Energy Support Center (DESC) web site, www.desc.dla.mil.
JP-8 is a low lubricity fuel in comparison to commercial DF-2. The aromatic content of JP-8 is lower than
DF-2 which is an indirect indicator of lubricity differences between these two fuels.
Another difference from diesel fuel is its viscosity as shown in the figure below (SAE 2009-01-1099). This
lower viscosity can be a challenge to fuel systems when trying to develop high injection pressures or
when attempting to minimize the engine full load power degradation experienced when operating on
JP-8.
The JP-8 spec allows for up to 3000ppm sulfur (versus 15ppm for on-road diesel fuel). Data from the
DESC shows that sulfur levels in JP-8 actually purchased by the military has ranged from near zero all the
way up to the 3000ppm limit. The average for 2007 on the east coast of the United States was
2110ppm. High-sulfur fuel is a known poison to most automotive catalysts, leads to increased
particulate output in the engine exhaust, and also leads to sulfuric acid formation in the intake manifold,
especially in systems with EGR coolers.
UNCLAS: Dist A. Approved for public release
JP-8 experience
JP-8 has caused numerous challenges across the fleet of vehicles with reciprocating engines. This has been a matter of continuing investigation by TARDEC. An SAE paper (2009-01-1099) concluded that “In general, unit injection systems have demonstrated significant tolerance to low lubricity JP-8 in various combat and tactical vehicle applications based on both field and laboratory evaluation experience.” There is very little common rail fuel system experience with JP-8 to date. TARDEC has several programs underway to evaluate both the durability of current commercial common rail systems, and to investigate ways to harden commercial common rail systems for use with JP-8.
