EI 1550 Handbook on equipment used for the maintenance and delivery of clean aviation fuel

Overview:

This publication describes how to maintain aviation fuel cleanliness from the point of fuel manufacture to into-plane delivery. It has been prepared in order to communicate key information on the laboratory testing/qualification, application and use of aviation fuel filtration systems, quantitative electronic sensors and qualitative bulk water detectors, either individually or in combination. It includes operational experiences from users, findings from industry research and explanations of laboratory qualification test requirements included in EI specifications.

This third edition has been extensively updated to reflect the industry transition away from the use of filter monitors that contained super-absorbent polymer, which have been widely deployed for aircraft fuelling for several decades (for further information see Annex H). It describes new EI specifications for developing technologies, including those intended to retrofit in existing filter monitor vessels, quantitative electronic water sensors (EI 1598) and qualitative bulk water detectors (EI 1592). At the time of publication, some technologies are yet to be used in service and have yet to be recognised by any of the industry operating standards.

This publication is intended for a wide range of industry practitioners including those who design aviation fuel handling systems, specify and/or purchase equipment/components for use in such systems, manufacturers and users of equipment/components, operators of pipelines, operators of refineries, operators of terminals (intermediate and pre-airport) and those who own or operate aviation fuel supply facilities at airports.

This third edition provides seven new chapters/annexes, covering:

• water barrier filters (EI 1588);
• dirt defence filters (EI 1599);
• quantitative electronic sensors for particulate matter and/or free water detection for into-plane applications (EI 1598);
• qualitative bulk water detectors (EI 1592);
• retrofitting dirt defence filter elements or water barrier filter elements into filter monitor vessels for into-plane use;
• FWS sump water management systems, and
• single stage coalescers/hay packs.

In addition, significant updates have been included in the chapters covering:

• laboratory testing requirements (to reflect EI 1588, EI 1589, EI 1592, EI 1598, EI 1599 and recent work on electrostatic charge measurement);
• filter/water separators (to reflect EI 1581 6th edition);
• filter vessels (to reflect EI 1596 3rd edition);
• quality assurance of filter element and vessel manufacture, and
• application of fuel cleanliness components in aviation fuel handling systems (to incorporate water barrier filters and dirt defence filters).