Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
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By riverrock
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1778681
terrybarr wrote:I wonder what the fuel spec for Formula 1 is these days?

I read it was 1992 that they stopped essentially using AVGAS.

Formula 1 uses essentially standard road fuel but with each team having their own secret sauce which is varied from track to track...
- with (RON+MON)/2 min 87.0
- minimum 5.75% bio elements (although that isn't necessarily alcohol)

You can read the whole spec in section 19 of the technical regs: https://www.fia.com/regulation/category/110
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By MikeB
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1778735
Several years ago I managed to persuade one of my now colleagues who is an F1 nut and had the (to him) dream job of collecting fuel samples from F1 cars and monitoring the results/setting FIA quality specs to come and work for me.

FIA have changed the specs considerably since he left, much to his disgust.
#1911192
In this month's IAOPA News letter from AERO Friedrichshafen

"TEL will require authorization in Europe after November 2023

An important topic at AERO were (sic) the developments around leaded Avgas. An update was given on GAMI fuel. But we are not there yet. The fact that the use of Avgas is being phased out may still cause major problems for the producers of traditional engines and aircraft.

TEL stands for Tetraethyllead, an additive (leaded) to Avgas. TEL has now officially been added to the list of substances requiring an authorization in Europe. See this link if you want to know more about it.

The latest possible date for an application to continue the import into the EU and the provision of pure TEL for blending into Avgas 100LL within the EU is 1st November 2023.

The Sunset Date for TEL import and blending, in case no such authorization will be granted, is 1st May 2025. "
https://echa.europa.eu/en-US/-/echa-pro ... nvironment
By riverrock
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1911219
This was expected. The three manufacturers ( https://echa.europa.eu/brief-profile/-/ ... sSuppliers ) I assume will work out how to apply in time, in order to keep supplying to the fuel distributers.

There is a clear use (currently) without a way round it so it would qualify for an authorisation to continue use for ever (at present). This should also release more EU funds to find a way round it (for GAMI certification perhaps?).
By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1911228
My feeling is that this is more about the forbidden topic than the practicalities. The volume of emissions from light aircraft and fuel handling is miniscule in the grand scheme of things especially as many aircraft can move to UL 91 with an oil change and an additive.

I would expect to see UL 91 get cheaper and 100 LL more expensive if all this was a serious effort to change things.
By classgee
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1911231
johnm wrote:
> I would expect to see UL 91 get cheaper and 100 LL more expensive if all
> this was a serious effort to change things.

Hardly anywhere even sells UL91, which is frustrating when it would be your preferred fuel...
T67M liked this
#1911235
The recent EC moves on shipment of tetra-ethyl lead (TEL) are not a ban. They will require anyone making such shipments to gain a licence to move the chemical. This is an established practice for some chemicals. However it is clear that the ‘green’ pressure on 100LL is increasing.

The sole factory producing TEL in Europe is in the UK. Currently most European Avgas is refined in France, with smaller proportions in Poland/Sweden.

It is unlikely to be cost-effective to move Avgas refining to UK, so I suspect that for the next 2-3 years minimum, TEL will likely still be shipped as normal, but the additional permissions will need to be sought.
#2013091
From the latest IAOPA newsletter
The future of Avgas 100LL in Europe
European GA associations comment on application to the ECHA for the temporary continued use of TEL

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) wants to further restrict the use of Tetra Ethyl Lead (TEL) as it is a very toxic substance. TEL is an important additive in Avgas 100LL, and so far it has not been easy for the mineral oil industry to replace this substance 1:1 with a lead-free alternative. The ECHA has launched a so-called authorization procedure with two important dates: Companies will only be authorized to continue blending TEL into fuel in Europe after an application has been approved if they have submitted an application by the deadline of 1 November 2023, otherwise the expiry date is 1 May 2025.
The blending of TEL into avgas could actually be banned in Europe if no application from the industry is approved.

What's new? Shell has submitted an application to the ECHA for the continued use of TEL. This application was supported by the GA associations Europe Air Sports, GAMA and IAOPA-Europe with a joint statement. Shortly before our editorial deadline, the ECHA also posted an application online from the mineral oil company Trafigura, which produces avgas in Estonia via its subsidiary Puma Energies. Following a review, the GA associations will also comment on this application; the comment period ends in April. We also assume that the company Warter in Poland has submitted a similar application, but this has not yet been published. A decision on the applications is to be made by the ECHA by spring 2024.

There have been initial successes in the USA, e.g. the manufacturer GAMI has developed an Avgas 100 UL (UL = Unleaded), which is not yet on the market. However, a market launch is planned soon, initially in California. GAMI has not yet applied to EASA for approval of its STC. Other manufacturers are still in the process of obtaining approval from the FAA. In the USA, the industry and bureaucracy consider the widespread introduction of lead-free Avgas 100 UL by 2030 to be realistic.

European companies are not planning to develop an Avgas 100UL, but are focusing on the larger US market. For as long as in the USA, Europe will therefore also have to rely on the blending of TEL if an undisturbed transition to a lead-free successor fuel is to take place.
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