Database of Aircraft Fueling Equipment Parts

Fueling on the Ground

Pumping, storing, and using fuel on an aircraft is a complex process. To begin, different types of aircraft require different types of fuel. Small private aircraft with piston engines use aviation gasoline (or AV), while larger commercial turbojets and turboprops use Jet A (made with kerosene). Regardless of the type, fueling begins with the tanker truck or hydrant itself. When fueling from a truck, the vehicle must be secured in place with wheel chocks to prevent it from rolling away, while also bonding the truck to the aircraft and grounding it to prevent any static build-up while fueling. The fuel is also filtered and regulated to prevent moisture build-up; because jet fuel weighs roughly 6.7 pounds per gallon, and water weighs 8 pounds per gallon, water can be drained out of the bottom of the tank and onto the ground.

How much fuel gets pumped, and how quickly it is pumped, depends on the jet itself. The Airbus A380, for instance, can store almost 85,000 gallons, and safe pump rates can vary from 200 to 600 gallons per minute, depending on the aircraft and the rate of static electricity build-up.

Storing Fuel on the Aircraft

On a conventional fixed-wing aircraft, such as the Airbus A320, fuel is stored in several tanks split into two categories, wing tanks and a single center tank. The wing tanks are split between inner and outer wing tanks, meaning there are five tanks in total on the A320. Each fuel tank incorporates a fuel pump and feed lines connecting it to the two engines, with instruments measuring capacity and fuel temperature. Fuel is consumed first from the inner tanks, before switching to the outer tanks to prevent the wings from bending from the imbalance of weight. While the two sides of the fuel system are normally kept isolated from each other, the aircraft’s crew can choose to enable the flow of fuel from heavier to lighter locations to balance the aircraft.

At Aerospace Aces, owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, we sell aircraft fueling systems and parts from some of the top manufacturers around the world. These manufacturers include Dixon, EMCO Wheaton, OPW, and Hannay.