How Aircraft Refueling is Done?
The average passenger might assume that the process of refueling an aircraft is roughly the same as that of a car. Insert the hose, pump the gas, and move on. However, aircraft are both larger and more complex than cars, making the fuel process more complicated. In this blog, we will explore the process of refueling an aircraft.
Before discussing the way an aircraft is refueled, let’s discuss jet fuel itself. Fuel is made up of long strings of hydrocarbon atoms and sorted into different types through a distillation column. The longer and heavier strings fall to the bottom, while the lighter strings rise to the top. Jet fuel is about average in terms of length and weight, each chain being around 12-15 atoms long. The makeup of jet fuel is more similar to kerosene than gasoline. There are two types of jet fuel: Jet A and Jet B. the main difference between the two is their freezing point. Jet B has a much lower freezing point and therefore is mainly used in colder parts of the world. It is also the fuel of choice for the U.S. Air Force, meaning it is generally reserved for their use. For the purposes of this article, assume we are talking about Jet A fuel.
Anyone who has been on an aircraft knows there isn’t an abundance of space for the passengers, crew, cargo, and so on. Because of this, the thousands of gallons of fuel are stored in the wings. There is a center tank that sits in the middle of the aircraft (its center of gravity) and two additional tanks on each wing extending toward the wingtips. To refuel an aircraft, airport fuel providers have low-rising fuel trucks that park under or next to the wings. The operator will then connect the hose to the wing and pump the fuel. The pump works at a rate of 634 gallons per minute, usually taking between 15 and 20 minutes to fully refuel the aircraft. For larger aircraft, sometimes two trucks work at once.
Refueling is usually done after passengers disembark and prior to new passengers boarding the aircraft. This is so that if something were to go wrong, the lowest number of people possible would be onboard the plane at the time. Additionally, fuel crews use anti-static devices to prevent sparks mixing with the fuel. The fuel truck must be connected to the aircraft and match its electrostatic potential to avoid electrostatic discharge within the pipes. At some airports, rather than trucks, ground refueling tanks are used. These are essentially giant underground gas stations.
To ensure they are as light as possible, aircraft are generally only filled with enough fuel for one leg of the journey plus emergency fuel. They are able to do this because they will be able to refuel at virtually any destination or airport. The average short-haul domestic flight takes approximately 2,600 gallons of fuel, while a long-haul intercontinental flight, such as New York to London, can take up to 18,500 gallons.
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