JP4 vs Diesel

[MAragorn]

I have a friend who has a friend (no, really) who flies a helicopter for a living. As I understand it, they have to test the fuel very often and then have to discard the fuel pulled for the test. They generate a couple of hundred gallons of clean, waste JP4 fuel each month. Until now they have been paying to have this disposed.



My friend has been asked if he wants the fuel. They will pay him to take it. They told him that JP4 is a highly refined diesel and that they sometimes used it in diesel vehicles, but they no longer have these.



I drive a 2003 Dodge with the Cummins diesel. Do you know if this fuel can be used safely in my truck?



Thanks for the help

 

[romke]

JP4 differs from diesel in various ways: boiling range, cetane number and viscosity/lubricity. the boiling range is lower then diesel, the cetane number is lower due to the differences in carbon compounds in the fuel and the viscosity is also lower and hence the lesser lubricity. it therefore is quite different from standard diesel, the lack of willingness to ignite is no issue for the intended use (turbines, continuous combustion) but can pose problems in certain diesel engines. mixing it in small volume to standard diesel is possible though, say up to 10%. mercedes used to allow 50% JP4 or kerosene in the past to prevent filter clogging in winter time, but that was in the era of inline fuel pumps with lubrication by engine oil... for modern diesel injection equipment i would not go beyond 5%. even then you might experoence a somewhat louder engine. be aware also that modern emission optimized diesel engines are far more critical to fuel composition then the low revving diesels from the eighties. for modern small high revving diesels with fuel lubricated injection equipment i would not dare to use it.