berkshire
New member
- Jun 8, 2005
- 4,429
For years the preferred rubber for aircraft fuel cells/ bladders, has been nitrile or Buna N . This has worked well with most Avgas including 100 octane low lead.
Now the Feds are working on getting the lead out, switching to several proposed fuels: 93 octane unleaded with more aromatic components, and or Isopropanol. there is also a possibility that they may allow Ethanol which is currently banned in most aircraft fuel systems. Some fuel cell manufacturers are switching to PUR which does not seem to play well with Ethanol . I know plastic tanks can be made from HDPE , but in this case I am looking for flexible fuel tanks.
The catch 22 seems to be that materials that play well with Avgas do not play well with unleaded or Ethanol containing fuels, and materials that work with unleaded and Ethanol, do not work as well with Avgas
Does anybody have any opinions, ideas or links to research papers on this subject?
B.E.
You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.
Now the Feds are working on getting the lead out, switching to several proposed fuels: 93 octane unleaded with more aromatic components, and or Isopropanol. there is also a possibility that they may allow Ethanol which is currently banned in most aircraft fuel systems. Some fuel cell manufacturers are switching to PUR which does not seem to play well with Ethanol . I know plastic tanks can be made from HDPE , but in this case I am looking for flexible fuel tanks.
The catch 22 seems to be that materials that play well with Avgas do not play well with unleaded or Ethanol containing fuels, and materials that work with unleaded and Ethanol, do not work as well with Avgas
Does anybody have any opinions, ideas or links to research papers on this subject?
B.E.
You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.