Bulletin No. 61  Apr 2013

Joint Inspection Group

FAME UPDATE

The purpose of this bulletin is to clarify the JIG testing requirements for FAME Background The EI-JIP project to seek approval for 100 ppm of FAME in jet fuel has been running now for several years. In 2011, on the basis that the work was apparently nearing completion and all the results to date had shown no adverse effects, it was decided to revise the FAME testing requirements for inclusion in Issue 11 of the JIG Standards. The revised scheme stated that, in a world where the FAME limit was 100 ppm max, all batches of jet fuel coming out of multiproduct systems could be tested to verify <100 ppm FAME before delivery to airports operated to JIG Standards. This was considered a practical way forward because equipment to measure in the 20-100 ppm range had become available and it is simpler, easier to operate and therefore potentially more widely available than the laboratory methods needed to measure at the 5 ppm level. The revised testing requirements were set out in JIG 2 and JIG 3 Chapter 2, section 2.3.4(b) and JIG 4 Chapter 3, section 3.4.2(b). Unfortunately, progress on the 100 ppm approval was interrupted by some unexpected test results at the end of 2011. To determine whether these results were significant, a new and comprehensive testing programme was developed. This work was completed in March 2013. It is intended that the final EI-JIP report including this additional testing will be submitted to the major OEMs. The likelihood of the 100 ppm approval will then depend on the OEM response to all the test results in the report.

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Apr 2013 – JIG Bulletin 61 : FAME Update