Ground_Support_September2020 - 26

FUEL

How Fuel Contamination Threatens
Grounded Aircraft
Because fuel is static and may be warm for extended periods without being
in flight, difficult to detect "hotspots" of microbial contamination can occur.

All photos courtesy of Conidia Bioscience

By David Mitchell

26 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE

C

OVID-19 continues to decimate the
global aviation sector. At its peak,
more than 16,000 passenger jets
were grounded worldwide, according to industry researcher Cirium.
Many of these aircraft have been in
"active storage" with some fuel remaining
in the tanks. Although that fuel is often
treated with biocide, the threat of microbial
contamination still exists. This is because
fuel is warm for extended periods without
being in flight and fuel is also static, so
"hotspots" of contamination may occur that
are very difficult to detect.
But how can the operators ensure that
the planes and fuel are safe when operations begin? And how can they manage
contamination testing regimes with aircraft
scattered over airfields away from usual
lab testing facilities?
Microbial contamination is not
a new problem for aircraft and
the vast majority of airlines
test for this phenomenon in
line with International Air

SEPTEMBER 2020

Transport Association (IATA) and manufacturer guidelines. Now the disastrous
COVID-19 pandemic has left their assets
out of service and strewn across airfields
around the world.
Microbial contamination covers multiple types of organisms, including bacteria,
mold and yeast - the presence of which will
vary according to individual site conditions
based on factors including temperature and
humidity. The lead organism is most often
Hormoconis resinae (H.res), which has a filamentous (long stranded) fungi structure.
This acts as a binding material for other
micro-organisms to cling to, which results
in the formation of layers of biomass in
the fuel.
This can block filters and fuel lines,
adding to maintenance activities, costs and
risks to safety. Furthermore, and particularly important with grounded aircraft,
these biomass layers generate organic acids
that pit corrode the metal surfaces they
touch, causing damage to fuel tanks and
other ancillary equipment.



Ground_Support_September2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ground_Support_September2020

Business Buzz
Industry Expert Column – GSE
The Post-Pandemic Plan
Get GSE Ready to Return
How Fuel Contamination Threatens Grounded Aircraft
Certifying Çelebi
The Rise of the ‘Preighter’
Protecting Engineers and Airframes on the Ramp
Let’s Roll
Product Hangar
Editor’s Note
Ground_Support_September2020 - 1
Ground_Support_September2020 - 2
Ground_Support_September2020 - 3
Ground_Support_September2020 - 4
Ground_Support_September2020 - 5
Ground_Support_September2020 - Business Buzz
Ground_Support_September2020 - 7
Ground_Support_September2020 - 8
Ground_Support_September2020 - 9
Ground_Support_September2020 - Industry Expert Column – GSE
Ground_Support_September2020 - 11
Ground_Support_September2020 - The Post-Pandemic Plan
Ground_Support_September2020 - 13
Ground_Support_September2020 - 14
Ground_Support_September2020 - 15
Ground_Support_September2020 - 16
Ground_Support_September2020 - 17
Ground_Support_September2020 - 18
Ground_Support_September2020 - 19
Ground_Support_September2020 - 20
Ground_Support_September2020 - 21
Ground_Support_September2020 - Get GSE Ready to Return
Ground_Support_September2020 - 23
Ground_Support_September2020 - 24
Ground_Support_September2020 - 25
Ground_Support_September2020 - How Fuel Contamination Threatens Grounded Aircraft
Ground_Support_September2020 - 27
Ground_Support_September2020 - 28
Ground_Support_September2020 - 29
Ground_Support_September2020 - Certifying Çelebi
Ground_Support_September2020 - 31
Ground_Support_September2020 - 32
Ground_Support_September2020 - 33
Ground_Support_September2020 - The Rise of the ‘Preighter’
Ground_Support_September2020 - 35
Ground_Support_September2020 - Protecting Engineers and Airframes on the Ramp
Ground_Support_September2020 - 37
Ground_Support_September2020 - 38
Ground_Support_September2020 - 39
Ground_Support_September2020 - 40
Ground_Support_September2020 - 41
Ground_Support_September2020 - Let’s Roll
Ground_Support_September2020 - 43
Ground_Support_September2020 - Product Hangar
Ground_Support_September2020 - 45
Ground_Support_September2020 - 46
Ground_Support_September2020 - 47
Ground_Support_September2020 - 48
Ground_Support_September2020 - 49
Ground_Support_September2020 - Editor’s Note
Ground_Support_September2020 - 51
Ground_Support_September2020 - 52
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