Durability Evaluation of the Effects of Fischer-Tropsch Derived Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene Blended up to 50% with Petroleum JP-8 on a Detroit Diesel/MTU 8V92TA Engine

In order to characterize the effect of a blend of Jet-Propellant 8 JP-8 and Fischer-Tropsch derived Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene FT SPK on an 8V92TA MTUDetroit Diesel engine, a 400 hour durability test, using a modified NATO protocol, was performed utilizing a 50 50 volumetric JP-8 and synthetic blend fuel. The results of this test were compared to a baseline engine running the same durability test in similar conditions utilizing neat JP-8 fuel. Analysis of test results and engine disassemblies did not show a significant degradation of fuel components. A damaged turbocharger due to instrumentation failure not related to the fuel source caused a decrease in power of the FT-SPK blend engine. Although the fuel blend did not result in a difference in fuel component wear when compared to neat JP-8, significant damage did occur from failed test equipment which affected the overall performance of the fuel blend engine. While JP-8FT SPK fuel did not have a significant effect on engine components during this test, more testing is recommended to form a reliable conclusion on the effects of JP-8FT-SPK blended fuel on the 8V92TA engine since one of the test engines was damaged during testing, the sample size was minimal and data was collected on two remanufactured engines.