Vaporization of JP-8 Jet Fuel in a Simulated Aircraft Fuel Tank ...

unit volume of the fuel tank. For example, if the tank is full of fuel, the mass loading is
equal to the density of the fuel; if the tank is half full, the mass loading is equal to half the
density, and so forth. At the time of explosion, the CWT of TWA 800 had a mass
loading of approximately 3 kg/m 3 . This is a very small amount of fuel in a very large
tank, about 0.37% full. For such a minimal mass loading, the liquid forms a very thin
layer on the bottom surface of the tank, and if the tank floor is heated, the temperature of
the liquid can raise drastically, increasing the rate of fuel vaporization and the amount of
fuel in the ullage. Research has been performed to determine the mass loading effects on
the fuel vapor concentration in the ullage. It was determined that, in order to
significantly decrease the amount of vapor evolving into the ullage, the fuel loading has
to be extremely low, between 0.15 and 0.08 kg/m 3 [2].
2.1.5 Multicomponent Fuel Vaporization
Liquids fuels with several components are typically referred to as multicomponent fuels,
Jet A and JP-8 being perfect examples. As mentioned earlier, jet fuels have hundreds of
different chemical components, each component having unique chemical properties such
as molecular weight, boiling point, and vapor pressure. The overall liquid fuel takes on
unique properties that depend entirely upon the quantity and properties of the individual
components. Equilibrium vapor pressure calculations can be made for a fuel with a
known composition that account for the vapor pressures of the individual components.
Likewise, the percentage of each component in the liquid fuel can be used to determine
the amount of each component vaporizing at a specified liquid temperature. The critical
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