2024-02-16 15:27:00
The Gami company has spent a decade researching unleaded aviation fuel. Industrial production is scheduled to begin this year. The first market has already been determined.
At the headquarters of General Aviation Modifications, or Gami for short, in Ada, Oklahoma, there is a slogan hanging on the wall: No engine should remain on the ground. The company, which actually specializes in the production of fuel injectors for combustion engines in smaller private aircraft, is getting closer and closer to him.
Gami has been working on lead-free aviation fuel for a good decade. This is necessary because small aircraft in particular that are powered by classic piston engines require Avgas 100 LL leaded gasoline with a high octane number. The problem: The additive tetraethyl lead (TEL for short) is added to the fuel. This increases the octane number, but is highly toxic.
Vitol Aviation is converting production facilities
Avgas 100 LL is scheduled to be banned in Europe as early as 2025. Some manufacturers are currently trying to obtain exemptions. In the USA, aviation associations are aiming for an end by 2030. Therefore, various manufacturers are working on alternatives. Because the need is huge. It is estimated that 116,000 small aircraft worldwide still fly with Avgas 100 LL.
What is new now is that the G100 UL-Avgas developed by Gami will soon be produced on a large scale. Opposite the portal AV Web Chief Technology Officer George Braly said Gami had reached an agreement with petroleum company Vitol Aviation to mass produce their new 100-octane aviation fuel. Vitol Aviation is currently converting its facilities to meet the production requirements for this new fuel.
Launch in California
The new fuel, which has an energy density around three percent higher than Avgas 100LL and leaves no deposits in the engine or on the spark plugs, is scheduled to be introduced in California in the first half of the year. Braly said it is not yet clear which airports will adopt the sale of G100UL, but several airports have already banned the sale of leaded aviation fuel.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the fuel for all engines in the US in September 2022 if you purchase a supplemental approval from Gami. The cost of the supplementary type certification is said to be around $425. The price per gallon is more expensive than the traditional Avgas 100 LL. Estimates suggest a price increase of between 85 cents and $1.15.
1708146104
#G100ULAvgas #Unleaded #aviation #fuel #large #scale #USA