Soot volume fraction and number density in a turbulent diffusion flame burning kerosene/air were predicted using two approaches. The first used a conventional soot inception model based on the acetylene concentration and is referred to as the acetylene model. The second used a soot inception model based on the formation rate of three and two ring aromatics [1] and is referred to as the PAH inception model. The soot models account for inception, coagulation, surface growth, and oxidation processes. The Favre-averaged governing equations of mass, momentum, and energy in the turbulent field were solved in conjunction with the k - epsilon turbulence model. A recently developed detailed reaction mechanism for kerosene/air [2] was coupled to the turbulent flow field by the stretched laminar flamelet approach. A radiation heat transfer model that considered the soot, water and CO2 levels is included. Models are validated by comparing the numerical results to the experimental results of Young et al. [3] for a turbulent jet-flame burning pre-vaporized aviation kerosene. Significant improvements in the prediction of soot volume fraction are obtained using the PAH inception model for soot inception compared to the conventional acetylene approach. (C) 2003 The Combustion Institute. All rights reserved.