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Oh, to be a jet fuel trader in the US Midwest.

Instead of the relatively ho-hum day-to-day ups and downs that pass for normal in the world of buying and selling commodities, those who deal in jet fuel in the Chicago area have had to familiarize themselves with terms such as “fit for purpose,” “spec parameters,” “quality assurance,” “flash point,” “freeze point,” “existent gum” and lastly — but, oh no, most certainly not least — the jet fuel thermal oxidation test, or JFTOT.

It’s enough to make market players pull their hair out.

Midwest jet sources said another batch of fuel recently came off Explorer Pipeline failing to meet what has become the spotlight JFTOT element of the year: good ol’ thermal stability.

Let me be clear: I am a huge proponent of thermal stability in my jet fuel. I want the jet fuel in the airplane my family and I are sitting in, waiting to take off, to not only pass all the JFTOT tests, I want it to be the All-Time Valedictorian of All Possible Specification Tests on This or Other Planets.

Off-spec jet fuel degradation can result in gummy residue or metal deposits that can wreak havoc with aircraft fuel systems.

Another danger to jet fuel quality is the growth of bacteria that develops within the product. Hydrocarbon utilizing micro-organisms can grow and develop in untreated jet fuel, causing fuel filter problems. If left untreated, bacteria growth can cause catastrophic problems in the future. Bacterial fuel contamination is usually overcome by treating the fuels with a biocide.

All too often for the past year or more, jet fuel has been tested and approved at 275 degrees C prior to injection into Explorer Pipeline, but then only tested around 260 degrees C for thermal stability when it comes off the pipe in the Midwest.

Believe me, Explorer officials are pulling their hair out, too.

Each time another batch fails JFTOT, it has to be tested and treated before it is fit for purpose. Sources say that can take 5-7 days. That sometimes means no room at the inn for incoming jet fuel.

“There’s no room at the terminal and tanks to store arriving jet fuel,” Explorer Pipeline spokesman Rod Woodford said in July, when the problem grew so unwieldy that Explorer canceled its 39th cycle of jet fuel.

Explorer officials said ...