Emissions Reduction by Catalytic Reformulation of Jet Fuel

"Many of the naval bases proposed to accept deployment of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) are in non-attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for the emissions of ozone precursors: oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and reactive volatile organiccompounds (VOCs). The emissions of particulate matter including soot are also a concern. The Navy would benefit from a cleaner fuel so that high performance engines can run cleaner and criteria pollutants in the exhaust, regulated by the Clean Air Act,will be reduced. This proposal addresses contaminant reduction by catalytic reformulation of the jet fuel. The Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of a novel, innovative fuel catalyst that will significantly lower the pollution emissions fromengines fired with jet fuel. It will be demonstrated that treated fuel will exhibit an improvement in thermal stability and meet other chemical and physical requirements for jet fuel. The project will then proceed with combustion testing with emissionsmonitoring to verify the emissions reduction needed by the Navy. In addition to emissions reduction, the product could also improve the quality of jet fuels subjected to long term storage, and in foreign source locations where quality control may not be asstringent. The success of this project will provide significant benefit to the Navy's deployment of the JSF and to key air platform technology areas of the DoD that rely on jet fuels. H