Can Jet Fuel Freeze?

By Eric Morris | Published: August 30, 2022

Is There a Jet Fuel Freeze Point? 

For people beginning to enter the world of aviation, one of the first things that shock them is how cold temperatures reach outside of a cabin during a flight. The freezing temperatures outside of a cabin during a flight used to be a detriment to pilots since gear would freeze and be unusable. Many people who are beginning to learn the ropes of becoming an FAA dispatcher will ask themselves what is the jet fuel freeze point and does it run the risk of freezing and becoming unusable.

Does jet fuel have a freezing point? In the following article, Sheffield School of Aeronautics, an experienced flight dispatcher school, will explore the freezing point of jet fuel. Continue reading below to learn more from one of the top aircraft dispatching schools. 

Is There a Jet Fuel Freezing Point? 

What temperature does aviation fuel freeze at? et A is the most common kind of jet fuel used in the United States. This jet fuel has a freezing point of negative forty degrees celsius. However, like water, jet fuel will not instantly freeze when exposed to this temperature. In fact, many factors influence how jet fuel reacts to being frozen. This includes:

  • The kind of fuel: 
      • As mentioned above, every fuel has different freezing points. This varies from country to country, but the fuel that is most commonly used in the United States is Jet A. The other kinds are Jet A1 and Jet B. 
  • Initial fuel temperature:
      • Like water, if jet fuel is hotter, it will take a longer time to freeze. This is also dependent on which location a plane is taking off from. To illustrate, a plane that is taking off from South Florida will have much warmer fuel than one that is taking off from Siberia. 
  • Outside air temperature:
      • The colder the outside temperature, the faster jet fuel will freeze. 
  • Aircraft speed:
      • As an airplane flies through the air, it experiences friction from the outside air. The higher the amount of friction, the hotter the aircraft will be. A plane that is flying at faster speeds experiences more friction. This causes the fuel to be hotter and buys it time before it freezes. 
  • Quantity of fuel: 
    • A larger amount of fuel will freeze much slower than a collection of fuel that is noticeably smaller. The more fuel there is, the longer it takes to freeze. 
  • Aircraft design: 
    • Some aircraft are designed with hydraulic lines close to the fuel so that the heat will help slow down potential freezing. 
    • There are certain models of aircraft that pump fuel constantly to keep it moving and have it constantly be at a hotter temperature. 

More About Sheffield School of Aeronautics

Can jet fuel freeze? The answer depends on many factors, but it would take extremely cold temperatures and many other factors, like the aircraft’s design and initial fuel temperature, to result in a completely frozen-over reserve of jet fuel. Aside from useful resources like this one, our airline dispatcher school assists students with international flight planning and flight weather planning. Contact us today to learn more about your next flight dispatch course.

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