A long-term U.S. Army study has validated the ability of GE Power & Water’s +100 liquid fuel additive to significantly cut operating costs in a variety of rotorcraft. In 2003, the U.S. Army granted a waiver for the Army Aviation Warfighting Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., to begin conducting long-term feasibility studies on GE’s +100 fuel additive, which had been in use by the U.S. Air Force since the mid-1990s.
The Army found that the additive reduces per-flight-hour costs by $150 in the Boeing CH-47 Chinook and $40 per hour in the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. Applicable to all turbine engines, the additive works by providing an additional 100 degrees F of thermal stability to aviation fuel, preventing engine coking and enabling cleaner and more efficient fuel burn, while lowering operating and lifecycle costs. It also reduces soot deposits on airframes.
The company claims that the product pays for itself within the first year of service, and it estimates that the Army saved $69 million over 10 years by using the product at Fort Rucker. +100 is available commercially and can be used in turbine airplanes and helicopters (FAA Advisory Circular 20-24D addresses the use of aircraft fuel additives).