The aviation industry needs a joint effort to more carefully monitor the prevalence of the water-sponging material and set a firm date to phasing it out in favor of more advanced solutions, according to a fuel-quality expert from Lufthansa.
“Within Lufthansa, we do have this proactive mitigation measure to enforce the change-out of this technology, and this reactive mitigation measure to detect the trends and have the baseline for the regions that have not yet moved away from SAP-based filtration,” Andreas Schmidt, fuel quality manager for the German airline, said in an interview with aviation fueling consultant Mike Farmery.
“Ideally, we would have other airlines joining in our program of having a baseline study to detect a trend when it comes to this contamination,” Schmidt said.
SAP has been used for years in filter monitors to absorb any water in the fuel as it’s pumped into the aircraft. However, in rare cases, SAP particles can dislodge, become mixed in with the fuel and pose a safety risk. Engine manufacturers have stated that there is no safe level of SAP and the industry standard for SAP-based filters was withdrawn at the end of 2020.
“It was underestimated at the very beginning that after a five-year period, phasing out filter monitors was achievable. Obviously, it is not,” Schmidt said. “As an airline, we need to ensure that we have the mitigation measures in place. This is a quite difficult job, honestly, as we have limited information available on how to handle this risk.”
“Unfortunately, some in the industry have the impression that as the mitigation measures from the industry are in place, filter monitors are OK to use for now,” Schmidt said. “We are convinced by our own study that this is not the case, because there are still occasions where we are able to find these contaminants – on a very low level, but they are still there.”
“So this risk is still there. We need to find appropriate mitigating actions to face this potential safety concern and remove filter monitors completely as soon as appropriate and practical,” Schmidt said.
Lufthansa has been using a new solution that combines a microfilter to remove dirt and other particles in combination with an electronic water sensor, Schmidt said, adding that this had the benefit of enabling continuous measurement of water levels and fuel quality.
“The sensor provides us with a direct picture. What exactly is my quality level at a certain time of day, at a certain humidity level, at a certain condition? We are able to interact directly and have direct quality proof for the fuel provider,” Schmidt said. “It grants us a higher safety level, but ultimately, it allows the provider industry to act quicker and grant higher robustness to the supply system.”
Schmidt said cost is only one factor hindering airlines from adopting new fuel filtration solutions more quickly.
“Together with the cost also comes accessibility to the trained service providers, accessibility to the filtration means, and to the qualified installers. So, this whole sequence of change management – starting from the budget, all the way to the implementation and training – is quite a journey,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt cautioned, however, that SAP-free filtration doesn't necessarily mean 100 percent SAP-free fuel. One of the major findings from Lufthansa’s studies was that SAP may be present in the overall environment due to its use in agriculture and other industries, and it may find its way into aviation fuel via other routes. This requires more studies by more airlines, engine manufacturers, and industry groups, Schmidt said.
“We still believe that there should be more pressure to move to SAP-free filtration, and it needs to be a joint effort. If we could wish for anything, we would wish for a worldwide phase-out date for the filter monitor technology. Then, we would have one definite end date where we can say that this risk is mitigated 100 percent, and we can proceed with other challenges. But, at the moment, we are not yet there. There's work ongoing, and we appreciate the involvement and contribution. For our part, we try to do our best to support this journey and move away from SAP-based filtration.”