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Old 10th Jun 2017, 11:50
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noflynomore
 
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Wow! Flown 16,000hrs in over 30 years and 15 turbine types - and never heard of it!
Air dissolved in kerosene? Really??
Where did that quote come from?

Max alt sans fuel pump is conventionally understood to be due to cavitation, ie vapourisation of the fuel.

Edit.

A brief internet search shows weathering to be a process in which the more volatile elements (benzene, naptha, toluenes etc) in an oil based fuel are stripped from it over time by evaporation of driven off by heat ie in a fire leaving the heavier fractions behind. I found no reference to Air though, and this process seems to take weeks or months. It appears to be a somehat niche science to do with analysing oil spill residue, forensic analysis of accelerants in arson fires and degradation of long-term oil fuel stocks. I also found no reference to it occurring due to lower atmospheric pressure at altitude and although it may perhaps be seen as somewhat similar to cavitiaion nb. cavitation is caused by mechanical action (eg of a fuel pump) and not just evaporation.

It certainly isn't in the mainstream of aviation knowledge.

Last edited by noflynomore; 10th Jun 2017 at 12:05.
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