Navy Mobility Fuels Forecasting System Phase 5 report: Jet fuel conversion by Pacific fuel suppliers and impacts on Navy fuel availability

NATO members have made the commitment to convert land-based jet aircraft from naphtha-type JP-4 jet fuel to kerosene-type JP-8. JP-8 has safety advantages because of its relatively low volatility. With the NATO conversion underway, the US military has conducted market surveys to determine the effects of jet fuel conversion in the Pacific basin. This report describes the application of the economic and engineering models of the Navy Mobility Fuels Forecasting System to predict the effects of jet fuel conversion in the Pacific basin. The primary objective of the study was to estimate the impacts of conversion on the cost and quality of Navy jet and marine fuels. The study predicts that the average cost increase for producing JP-8 instead of JP-4 is 5 cents per gallon. The associated cost increases for Navy fuels are 0.4 cents per gallon for JP-5 jet fuel; 0.2 cents per gallon for F-76 marine diesel fuel; and 0.4 cents per gallon for F-77 burner fuel oil. Conversion has little effect on the quality of Navy fuels. With or without conversion, the study predicts that Navy fuels produced in the US West Coast could have increased tendencies to form gums and other particulates, with potentially adversemore » impacts on storage stability. 22 refs., 2 figs., 11 tabs.« less