No more Vulcan this year :(
13 September 2013, 10:34 PM
#1
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 12,329
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
No more Vulcan this year :(
Just had word the remaining season for Vulcan has been cancelled due to the fuel tank being unserviceable .
A new one will take 16+ weeks to make
Gutted
Mart
A new one will take 16+ weeks to make
Gutted
Mart
15 September 2013, 01:59 PM
#5
Intriguing, but I'm pretty sure why its tanks are rotting. Its never really occured to me how occasionally used jet aircraft handle the problems of storing fuel, but it has to be a severe issue to a plane like the Vulcan
On diesel cars its a problem (and also cars using high ethanol content petrol), when air vapour gets in the tank (or the tank at the filling station), it condensates giving ideal breading grounds for microbes of bacteria and fungus: Namely Cladosporium Resinae, or varieties of it along with Aspergillus and Penicillium. Aka Diesel bug....it grows in Kerosene too and Jet A1 fuel, and I've seen it in grow in fresh engine oil too (we have drip trays at work to catch the dribbles that come out the drums, I've cleaned them myself and 3 months later mold is visibly growing in the collected oil! ).
It causes sludge, it clumps, it blocks filters, and worst of all they produce acids (hydrogen sulphide IIRC). Which combined with the water causes corrosion of the tank and fuel system. Its mainly in little or sporadic use its a issue, where regular use combined with frequent filter changes prevents build up and purges excess water (that said I have encountered a 100,000mile ford Focus TDCi that's less.than two years old which had a blocked fuel filter, but I think that's the exception to the norm and probably due to a rogue filling station).
The Vulcan no doubt would be prone to this problem and is probably why one of the tanks has been condemned (and probably more to follow unless caught in time). The same would apply to the holding tanks and tankers used to refuel it which unless decontaminated would pass on the 'infection' to every plane they refuel.
On diesel cars its a problem (and also cars using high ethanol content petrol), when air vapour gets in the tank (or the tank at the filling station), it condensates giving ideal breading grounds for microbes of bacteria and fungus: Namely Cladosporium Resinae, or varieties of it along with Aspergillus and Penicillium. Aka Diesel bug....it grows in Kerosene too and Jet A1 fuel, and I've seen it in grow in fresh engine oil too (we have drip trays at work to catch the dribbles that come out the drums, I've cleaned them myself and 3 months later mold is visibly growing in the collected oil! ).
It causes sludge, it clumps, it blocks filters, and worst of all they produce acids (hydrogen sulphide IIRC). Which combined with the water causes corrosion of the tank and fuel system. Its mainly in little or sporadic use its a issue, where regular use combined with frequent filter changes prevents build up and purges excess water (that said I have encountered a 100,000mile ford Focus TDCi that's less.than two years old which had a blocked fuel filter, but I think that's the exception to the norm and probably due to a rogue filling station).
The Vulcan no doubt would be prone to this problem and is probably why one of the tanks has been condemned (and probably more to follow unless caught in time). The same would apply to the holding tanks and tankers used to refuel it which unless decontaminated would pass on the 'infection' to every plane they refuel.
Last edited by ALi-B; 15 September 2013 at 02:03 PM.
15 September 2013, 03:55 PM
#6
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 12,329
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Intriguing, but I'm pretty sure why its tanks are rotting. Its never really occured to me how occasionally used jet aircraft handle the problems of storing fuel, but it has to be a severe issue to a plane like the Vulcan
On diesel cars its a problem (and also cars using high ethanol content petrol), when air vapour gets in the tank (or the tank at the filling station), it condensates giving ideal breading grounds for microbes of bacteria and fungus: Namely Cladosporium Resinae, or varieties of it along with Aspergillus and Penicillium. Aka Diesel bug....it grows in Kerosene too and Jet A1 fuel, and I've seen it in grow in fresh engine oil too (we have drip trays at work to catch the dribbles that come out the drums, I've cleaned them myself and 3 months later mold is visibly growing in the collected oil! ).
It causes sludge, it clumps, it blocks filters, and worst of all they produce acids (hydrogen sulphide IIRC). Which combined with the water causes corrosion of the tank and fuel system. Its mainly in little or sporadic use its a issue, where regular use combined with frequent filter changes prevents build up and purges excess water (that said I have encountered a 100,000mile ford Focus TDCi that's less.than two years old which had a blocked fuel filter, but I think that's the exception to the norm and probably due to a rogue filling station).
The Vulcan no doubt would be prone to this problem and is probably why one of the tanks has been condemned (and probably more to follow unless caught in time). The same would apply to the holding tanks and tankers used to refuel it which unless decontaminated would pass on the 'infection' to every plane they refuel.
On diesel cars its a problem (and also cars using high ethanol content petrol), when air vapour gets in the tank (or the tank at the filling station), it condensates giving ideal breading grounds for microbes of bacteria and fungus: Namely Cladosporium Resinae, or varieties of it along with Aspergillus and Penicillium. Aka Diesel bug....it grows in Kerosene too and Jet A1 fuel, and I've seen it in grow in fresh engine oil too (we have drip trays at work to catch the dribbles that come out the drums, I've cleaned them myself and 3 months later mold is visibly growing in the collected oil! ).
It causes sludge, it clumps, it blocks filters, and worst of all they produce acids (hydrogen sulphide IIRC). Which combined with the water causes corrosion of the tank and fuel system. Its mainly in little or sporadic use its a issue, where regular use combined with frequent filter changes prevents build up and purges excess water (that said I have encountered a 100,000mile ford Focus TDCi that's less.than two years old which had a blocked fuel filter, but I think that's the exception to the norm and probably due to a rogue filling station).
The Vulcan no doubt would be prone to this problem and is probably why one of the tanks has been condemned (and probably more to follow unless caught in time). The same would apply to the holding tanks and tankers used to refuel it which unless decontaminated would pass on the 'infection' to every plane they refuel.
Would your theory still hold ?
Mart
15 September 2013, 04:18 PM
#7
It can attack rubber. And traditionally metal tanks are lined with rubber compounds and that has been known break down, modern tanks are either plastic or use more resistant materials. So a bladder if made from susceptible materials could also suffer.
Not to forget outlets and unions would also be metal and contain seals/gaskets etc.
Of course that's not any proof its the issue, but it has got me thinking...
Not to forget outlets and unions would also be metal and contain seals/gaskets etc.
Of course that's not any proof its the issue, but it has got me thinking...
Last edited by ALi-B; 15 September 2013 at 04:24 PM.
Trending Topics
16 September 2013, 05:46 PM
#8
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 39,877
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
They used to have an additive in the fuel, the initials were "FSI" and I have forgotten the names.
We never had leaking fuel tanks problems that I remember but the aircraft are a lot older now of course.
Les
We never had leaking fuel tanks problems that I remember but the aircraft are a lot older now of course.
Les
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post