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Aviation Turbine Fuel Acidity Tester

Aviation Turbine Fuel Acidity Tester
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Petroleum Testing Equipment
Standards
ASTM D3242
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Aviation Turbine Fuel Acidity Tester - QualiATF™ D3242

The QualiATF™ D3242 aviation turbine fuel acidity tester measures the total acidity of jet fuel by color indicator titration according to ASTM D3242. Refineries, airport fuel labs, and fuel inspection services use it to verify that turbine fuels stay within specification acidity limits. The instrument covers a range of 0.000 to 0.100 mg KOH/g. A high-definition camera judges the indicator color change, which removes the variation that comes from differences in human color perception.

Testing runs from a single command and continues through multiple samples without operator input. The tester cleans the cell, weighs and injects the sample, adds titration solvent and indicator, stirs, and purges the mixture with dry nitrogen. It then titrates, calculates acidity in real time, saves the result with its images, and drains the waste. Labs can set the number of consecutive tests to match their daily workload.

Precision fluid handling supports repeatable results across operators and shifts. A micro-pump doses titrant at 1 µL resolution, while a calibrated peristaltic pump injects the sample at 0.1 mL resolution. The 7-inch touchscreen displays live titration images, and the database stores more than 10,000 results. 

Applications

Jet fuel specifications cap total acidity at a low limit, so laboratories across the aviation fuel supply chain need consistent, operator-independent acidity data. Typical applications include:

  • Refinery Quality Control: release testing of Jet A, Jet A-1, and other turbine fuel batches against acidity specification limits
  • Aviation Fuel Quality Laboratories: routine total acidity testing on incoming and outgoing fuel batches
  • Airport Fuel Farms and Terminals: receipt inspection alongside density, flash point, and conductivity checks
  • Military Fuel Surveillance: acidity monitoring of JP-8 and other military turbine fuel grades
  • Storage Stability Monitoring: tracking acidity in stored fuel, where a rising value can indicate oxidation
  • Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF): acidity checks on synthetic blend components and finished blends
  • Third-Party Fuel Inspection: high-throughput contract testing with documented, image-backed results
Aviation Turbine Fuel Acidity Tester

Standards

The QualiATF™ D3242 follows the reagents, indicator, and titration procedure that ASTM International defines for acidity in turbine fuel. Its automated sequence replaces the visual endpoint judgment of the manual method.

  • ASTM D3242 - Standard Test Method for Acidity in Aviation Turbine Fuel

Key Features

The QualiATF™ D3242 automates every step of the ASTM D3242 test, from sample loading through waste disposal. Its main features include:

  • One-Touch Continuous Testing: a single command runs multiple consecutive tests, with the number of runs set by the operator
  • Full Sample Handling Automation: automatic cleaning, sample weighing and injection, solvent and indicator addition, stirring, nitrogen purging, and titration with no manual steps
  • Camera-Based Endpoint Detection: a 5-megapixel HD camera and visual recognition software judge the color change, removing operator-to-operator variation
  • Stable 6500K Lighting in an Enclosed Cell: consistent illumination and isolation from ambient light keep color readings uniform
  • Real-Time Titration Imaging: live images and running acidity values appear on screen throughout each test
  • Micro-Pump Linear Titration: titrant dosing at 1 µL resolution with adjustable titration speed for fine endpoint control
  • Calibrated Peristaltic Sample Injection: sample delivery at 0.1 mL resolution with an adjustable volume and a built-in calibration function
  • Adjustable Magnetic Stirring: variable stirring speed mixes the sample and titrant evenly during the test
  • Peltier Cooling: solid-state cooling with no compressor or refrigerant to maintain
  • Automatic Waste Drain: discharges spent solution at the end of each test, reducing operator contact with solvents
  • 7-Inch Color Touchscreen: an 800 × 480 display makes setup and result review simple
  • 10,000+ Result Database: stores results automatically, calculates repeatability between two results, and prints reports to a connected printer

Theory and Method

Acidity in jet fuel comes mainly from naphthenic acids carried over from crude oil and from organic acids that form as fuel oxidizes. These acids can corrode fuel system metals and react with them to form soaps. Some acid salts also act as surfactants that interfere with water separation in filtration equipment. Jet fuel specifications therefore limit total acidity, which the test reports as milligrams of potassium hydroxide (KOH) needed to neutralize the acids in one gram of fuel.

ASTM D3242 dissolves a weighed fuel sample in a solvent of toluene, isopropyl alcohol, and a small amount of water. Dry nitrogen bubbles through the solution to strip out dissolved carbon dioxide, which would otherwise add false acidity. Standardized alcoholic KOH then titrates the acids in small increments while the solution stirs. A p-naphtholbenzein indicator marks the endpoint by changing from orange to green once the acids are neutralized.

The QualiATF™ D3242 automates the endpoint judgment that operators traditionally make by eye. A 5-megapixel camera images the solution under a stable 6500K light source inside an enclosed chamber, so room lighting cannot affect the reading. Visual recognition software compares each image as titrant goes in and identifies the color change. The instrument converts the titrant volume at that point into acidity in mg KOH/g and stores the result with its images.

Technical Specifications

Parameter

Specification

Applicable Standard

ASTM D3242

Measurement Range

0.000 to 0.100 mg KOH/g

Endpoint Detection

Visual recognition, 5-megapixel HD camera

Light Source

6500K stable color temperature, enclosed test chamber

Titration Method

Micro-pump linear titration, 1 µL resolution, adjustable speed

Sample Injection

Peristaltic pump, 0.1 mL resolution, adjustable volume, with calibration

Stirring

Magnetic, adjustable speed

Cooling

Peltier

Continuous Testing

Yes, number of tests adjustable

Dry Nitrogen Supply

600 to 800 mL/min

Display

7.0-inch color touchscreen, 800 × 480

Data Storage

Over 10,000 results

Printing

Via connected printer

Power Supply

AC 220 V ±10%, 50 Hz

Power Consumption

500 W

Dimensions (L × W × H)

450 × 450 × 470 mm

Weight

30 kg

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