Where Is Fuel Stored Onboard An Aircraft? (2024)

By Mark Finlay , Sumit Singh , and Dr. Omar Memon

Updated 5 days ago

There has to be a balance when storing jet fuel.

Where Is Fuel Stored Onboard An Aircraft? (1)

Summary

Aircraft wings are a common storage area for jet fuel due to their hollow structure, maintaining balance during flight.
Considerations include calculating fuel based on various factors, weight distribution, and structural integrity.
Modern aircraft have complex fuel systems with multiple tanks in various locations for optimal performance and safety.

Did you ever wonder where jet fuel is stored on an aircraft? There certainly are specific fuel tanks, either in the belly of the aircraft or in the rear. But where else is fuel stored? The aircraft wings! The storage and use of jet fuel on the aircraft is a complex, yet precise process. Flight planners calculate the amount of fuel needed for the journey, including reserves, before the flights.

The calculation of the required fuel is based on several factors including, distance, weight, cruising altitude, wind velocity, and air temperature. Added to this is taxi burn, which is the fuel used to get to and from the runway. And of course, adding a little extra just in case of a diversion or emergency. The weight of fuel must be precisely balanced during refueling and consumption during flight. This article delver deeper into the technicalities and logistics of aircraft fuel storage.

Weight and balance

Weight and balance are essential considerations when it comes to creating an aircraft's center of gravity. The seating arrangement is also a factor, as we have found out with the Airbus A321neo and A320neo. Under certain circ*mstances, both planes tend to pull their nose up after certain severe maneuvers. To compensate for this, Lufthansa began blocking the sale of the last row of seats on this aircraft.

Airlines also have loadmasters who decide where cargo is placed based on volume and weight. When it comes to heavy fuel, evenly distributing it between the wings helps to maintain aircraft balance.

Storage room

Typical fuel stroage

Center tank (fuselage)
Inner tank (wing)
Outer tank (wing)
Vent tank (wing)
Trim tank (tailplane)
Vent tank (tailplane)

Commercial airliners are built to carry as much payload as possible. The payload includes passengers, luggage, and cargo. If you took a cross-section of the plane, you would see that the bottom half is for carrying freight and the upper half for passengers. This leaves the virtually hollow wings as a perfect place to store the fuel.

How An Aircraft's Fuel System Works

The fuel system is one of the most important systems in an aircraft.

Similar to a car with a separate fuel tank, the wings on aircraft are watertight and designed to hold aviation fuel. Having spars built between sections of the wing also stops the fuel from sloshing around. These spars have holes in them that let fuel pass through but at a much slower rate.

Structural integrity

Factors that must be considered for fuel storage and use

Aircraft stability on the ground (prevent tipover on one side)
Aircraft stability during flight (center of gravity location)
The change in the center of gravity as fuel is consumed

All aircraft rely on their wings to create lift, with the most stress being put on the wings during takeoff when the plane is at its heaviest. Putting fuel in wings helps stop them from flexing, which would occur if you had a heavy aircraft and light wings. Engineers discovered that having heavy wings actually put less stress on them as the weight of the plane is more evenly balanced.

Where Is Fuel Stored Onboard An Aircraft? (5)

Photo: Karolis Kavolelis | Shutterstock

All of this means that storing fuel in the wings is not only a great way to save space but also a smart way of putting less pressure on the wings' integrity. Clearly, a win-win for everyone.

How Much Fuel Does A Jet Aircraft Use During A Typical Flight?

Let's take a look at how much Jet A a widebody aircraft actually uses as it traverses the skies.

Careful considerations

Altogether, systems vary notably from plane to plane because of the relative size and complexity of the aircraft in which they are fitted. Skybrary summarizes the systems with the following:

"In the most basic form, a fuel system will consist of a single, gravity feed fuel tank with the associated fuel line connecting it to the aircraft engine. In a modern, multi-engine passenger or cargo aircraft, the fuel system is likely to consist of multiple fuel tanks which may be located in the wing or the fuselage (or both) and, in some cases, in the empange. Each tank will potentially be equipped with internal fuel pumps and have the associated valves and plumbing to feed the engines, allow for refueling and defueling, isolate the individual tanks and, in some applications, allow for fuel dumping or for optimisation of aircraft centre of gravity."

Amid the ongoing jet fuel crisis, which has seen airlines introduce surcharges in a bid to help offset costs, the mindfulness of these processes will go a long way in saving as much fuel as possible. The storage systems will combine with modern technology and other fuel-saving initiatives to keep costs down.

What are your thoughts about where aircraft fuel is stored? What do you make of the overall processes involved? Let us know what you think in the comments section.