The fuel prices we put on our cars are going crazy. When we say gasoline, diesel, autogas, we started to see that a different fuel unit is increasing every day. In these days when we are afraid to go to the gas stations, we also wondered how to start the cars. Since we can’t get normal fuel to our car, we can make things a little more interesting. Today we’re going to explain to you what happens if you use jet fuel, which is used in passenger planes, in your car.
Although the jet fuel used by passenger aircraft, or more precisely Jet-A, creates a great expectation due to the expression jet in its name, it is actually used because it is less refined and cheaper. The most common of all jet fuels, Jet-A is more diesel-like in structure. So if you’re driving a petrol car, don’t think too much about adding jet fuel to your car. This is because spark plugs in gasoline engines cannot produce enough spark to ignite jet fuel. Just like gasoline vehicles cannot ignite diesel.
What is jet fuel, how is it different from gasoline and diesel?
When “jet” fuel is mentioned, we may think of cars that go at airplane speeds, but let’s just say, it won’t be what you imagine. There are some minor details that separate jet fuel from gasoline and diesel. There are two main types of jet fuel. Jet-A and Jet-B. While Jet-B is mostly used for military purposes, Jet A is a cheaper alternative mostly preferred by passenger planes.
When we look at the difference between gasoline and Jet-A fuel, we see that there are different hydrocarbon numbers. Gasoline consists of hydrocarbons whose bonded molecules contain 7 to 11 carbon atoms, while jet fuel consists of hydrocarbons in the range of 12 to 15 carbon atoms. The most well-known explanation for jet fuel is that it is mostly made of kerosene. When we look at diesel oil, we see that it consists of hydrocarbons in the range of 9 to 25 carbon atoms. In the light of these components, it seems that jet fuel is closer to diesel, so it is theoretically possible for diesel vehicles to work with jet engines.
The other difference of jet fuel compared to gasoline and diesel fuels is the additives added into it. Jet fuels, which include antistatic chemicals, de-icing agents, anticorrosive and anti-bacterial agents, have been developed to be suitable for high weather conditions where there is no room for error.
What happens if jet fuel is put in the car?
One of the biggest differences between jet fuels and automobile fuels is that they operate in different temperature ranges. Jet fuels produced for an aircraft are designed for the engines of these aircraft. These fuels, which can operate at -40 degrees Celsius without freezing, have some problems when added to car engines developed to operate at more normal temperatures. If jet fuel is added to a gasoline engine, it will withstand that type of fuel for a while, but then misfires will begin and eventually stop. Due to the nature of the jet fuel, it will damage the fuel pump and the engine in general because there will not be sufficient lubrication.
When we look at diesel engines, we see that jet fuel can actually be used. This situation, which is theoretically possible, causes various difficulties when it enters reality. Although we can run jet fuel in diesel engines, it will strain the engine due to different degrees of combustion. In addition, jet fuel does not increase speed in gasoline or diesel vehicles. In fact, since it is not suitable for the engine, it will offer lower efficiency than the fuel oils produced for car engines.
Based on all this, Toyota used jet fuel for the Toyota Hilux pickup truck fleet for a trip to the poles in 2012. Traveling approximately 70,000 km in extremely cold climates, these vehicles ran smoothly with non-freezing jet fuel even at lower temperatures.
What happens if space shuttle fuel is put into the car?
Manuel Martinez-Sanchez, a lecturer in the field of aircraft and space at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), announced that the liquid hydrogen fuel that runs the engines of remote shuttles can also run diesel vehicles. The only problem here is the need for storage at -257 degrees to keep the hydrogen in liquid form. This is a temperature low enough to freeze the car and of course the engine.
Today, “what happens if you put jet fuel in your car?” We have provided the answer to the question. If you want more of this type of content, don’t forget to share it with us in the comments section.
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