• Jet fuel is mostly kerosene.air force plane image by JLycke from Fotolia.com
  
  Jet fuel needs to be very clean in order to properly combust in the jet engine and produce enough force to propel the jet. A variety of different blends of jet fuel have been used as jet technology has developed, but the industry as a whole has settled on a few select fuels with a range of additives based on their particular use. Common jet fuels are based around the same simple formula with few differences.
  
  

Kerosene

• Kerosene is the basic ingredient of all jet fuels. Kerosene burns quickly and cleanly, with a flash point similar to diesel. It is created when petroleum is heated between 300 and 524 Fahrenheit, causing hydrocarbons to link together in kerosene compounds easily. Kerosene is highly stable and generally more simple to develop than complex fuels like gasoline.
  
  

Corrosion Inhibitors

• While kerosene on its own makes an ideal jet fuel, most kerosene today is mixed with other compounds that give it additional qualities: these compounds are known as additives, and there is a wide range of them added by different manufactures. One common group prevents corrosion. This allows the jet engine to last longer without needed parts replaced. The inhibitors keep the kerosene from reacting with the metal surfaces that it passes beside.
  
  

Anti-Icing Additives

• Another group of popular additives are anti-icing compounds. In cold climates, kerosene tends to freeze, which makes it run sluggish until it is not suitable for use as a jet fuel. To solve this problem, manufacturers add compounds which freeze at lower temperatures than kerosene, allowing the mixture to be used as fuel. This is required for any military uses of the fuel.
  
  

Methanol and Water

• The methanol and water combination that jet engines use is not strictly a fuel. Instead, it is a cooling solution used to cool down the air. This air is then mixed with the fuel and injected into the combustion chambers of the jet engine. The colder the air, the more air can be compressed in with the fuel, and the stronger the explosion, generating more force.