Why is specific gravity of fuel important?

Well there are two reasons. First, specific gravity has an impact on fuel metering, especially for carbureted engines. A heavier fuel is of course denser, so the float in a carb’s float bowl will sit higher than if a lighter fuel was used. If the float sits higher, the fuel level will be lower.

What is specific gravity of aviation fuel?

Avgas 100LL is a blue liquid with a specific gravity of 0.68-0.74 @ 60ºF (15.6ºC).

Why do we need to ground the aircraft when refueling?

We ground an aircraft during the refueling process to ensure that the plane and the refueling apparatus are at the same electrical potential and to dissipate the electrical charge that is generated by the fuel transfer process.

Why is the specific gravity of diesel fuel important?

Specific gravity affects the spray pattern of the fuel as it is injected into the cylinder. To determine if diesel fuel quality should be considered a part of diagnosing an engine performance problem, a hydrometer reading can give strong indications of fuel quality and fuel temperature.

Why is specific gravity used instead of density?

Density is defined as mass per unit volume. It has the SI unit kg m-3 or kg/m3 and is an absolute quantity. Specific gravity is the ratio of a material’s density with that of water at 4 °C (where it is most dense and is taken to have the value 999.974 kg m-3). It is therefore a relative quantity with no units.

What does higher specific gravity mean?

So if the specific gravity increase, it means the density of the material has increase and since density is the mass per unit volume ( ρ=mV ), there are different ways this is possible – either the mass increases or the volume decreases, or both.

What is the specific gravity of diesel fuel?

2 diesel fuel is between 30 and 42. The specific gravity, at 60/60°F, and the density, at 15.6°C, are between 0.88 and 0.82.

How does specific gravity affect fuel metering?

First, specific gravity has an impact on fuel metering, especially for carbureted engines. A heavier fuel is of course denser, so the float in a carb’s float bowl will sit higher than if a lighter fuel was used.

What is the specific gravity of a Supreme engine?

Applying some math: 5.95 / 8.325 = 0.715. So Supreme has a specific gravity of 0.715. If Fuel A has a lower specific gravity than Fuel B, Fuel A is said to be “lighter” than Fuel B. Literally, a gallon of Fuel A weighs less than a gallon of Fuel B. Sunoco Standard has a specific gravity of 0.728, so it is said to be “heavier” than Supreme.

What is specific gravity and why does it matter?

For most race fuels, specific gravity is also an indication of the composition. Note that the words “most” and “indication” were used – there are exceptions. However, for most race fuels, a lower specific gravity suggests a faster-burning fuel, while a higher specific gravity suggests a fuel is slower-burning.

Why is specific gravity important in Race Fuels?

One of the most important attributes of a race fuel is its consistency. Even if you don’t need all the engine protection offered by a high octane race fuel, you may need its consistency. Specific gravity is one of the many parameters we monitor to ensure quality and consistency in all our fuels, batch after batch.