Aviation

[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]

Embraer, GE, Azul and Amyris in Renewable Jet Fuel Evaluation Project

November 19, 2009

Amyris engineers microbes to convert sugar to hydrocarbon fuels. Micrograph of fermentation fluids from production of Amyris Renewable Diesel (Nov 2007). Source: Amyris. Click to enlarge.

Embraer, General Electric, and Amyris Biotechnologies, a synthetic biology company focused on developing renewable hydrocarbon biofuels (earlier post) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to evaluate the technical and sustainability aspects of Amyris’ No Compromise renewable jet fuel. The initiative can culminate in a demo flight, by early 2012, of an Embraer E-Jet using GE engines and belonging to Azul Linhas Aéreas.

This collaboration combines industry leadership in airframe and engine manufacturing, a new and committed airline, and next-generation jet fuel development and production. The goal is to accelerate the introduction of a renewable jet fuel that could significantly lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and provide a long-term sustainable alternative to petroleum-derived jet fuel.

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TaxiBot: Ricardo Engineered Robotic Vehicle Concept To Reduce Aircraft Fuel Consumption and Noise on the Ground

November 18, 2009

CAD model of TaxiBot showing aircraft nose wheel and landing gear fully engaged. Click to enlarge.

Taxiing to and from the airport terminal gate and runway is a major source of CO₂ emissions. Aircraft are currently required to use their main propulsion jet engines in a highly inefficient manner for slow speed ground movements; the consequence is greater local air and noise pollution, as well as wasted fuel and hence increased carbon emissions.

Ricardo has successfully engineered and delivered a demonstrator robotic, pilot-controlled towing vehicle known as ‘TaxiBot’ for Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The TaxiBot concept is capable of operating with both wide and narrow bodied commercial airliners; it requires no modification to the aircraft, taxiways or runways, and only minor changes to airport infrastructure.

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MIT/RAND Study Concludes Three Types of Alternative Jet Fuel May Be Available in Commercial Quantities Over the Next Decade

October 25, 2009

Normalized well-to-wake GHG emissions for low-, baseline- and high-emission cases for jet fuel pathways under different land use change scenarios. From Hileman et al. Click to enlarge.

A joint MIT/RAND study of the near-term commercial feasibility of alternative jet fuels has concluded that three types of alternative jet fuels may be available in commercial quantities over the next decade: Jet A derived from Canadian oil sands and Venezuelan Very Heavy Oils (VHO); Fischer-Tropsch (FT) jet fuel produced from coal, a combination of coal and biomass, or natural gas; and hydrotreated renewable jet fuel (HRJ) produced by hydroprocessing renewable oils.

The study compared five different groups of potential alternative jet fuels on the basis of seven criteria: compatibility with existing aircraft and infrastructure; maturity of the fuel-production technology; near-term production potential; near-term production costs; life-cycle GHG emissions (“well-to-wake”); emissions affecting air quality; and the relative merit of using the fuel in aviation versus ground transportation. The focus of the work was on alternative jet fuels that could be available commercially in the next decade using primarily North American resources.

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Honeywell Tests 50% Renewable Jet Fuel Blend on TPE331 Engines; Comparable Performance to Conventional Fuels, 15-50% Lower Emissions

October 21, 2009

TPE331 turboprop engine. Click to enlarge.

Honeywell has completed initial testing of renewable jet fuel on its TPE331 turboprop engine, its TFE731 turbofan engine and a commercial Auxiliary Power Unit, with performance and fuel economy results comparable to typical aviation fuels.

Honeywell is part of a consortium of aviation companies, major airlines and engine manufacturers that have been testing bio-based jet fuels. For the past several months, Honeywell has been testing a biofuel blend developed by UOP LLC, a Honeywell subsidiary based in Des Plaines, Ill., which is 50% jatropha and algae-based biofuel, and 50% petroleum-based fuel. The engine tests included evaluation of combustion characteristics and a full-engine test for the TPE331 turboprop engine.

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Boeing, Honeywell’s UOP and Government of Mexico Launch Research and Advocacy Collaboration to Drive Commercial Use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels

October 20, 2009

Boeing, the Airports and Auxiliary Services agency (ASA), an arm of Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transport, and Honeywell’s UOP are collaborating to identify, research and further the development of a commercially-viable market for Mexico-sourced sustainable aviation biofuels that are drop-in hydrocarbon replacements for current petroleum-derived aviation fuel.

ASA, which is responsible for all fuel management and airplane refueling operations in Mexico, together with Boeing made the announcement last week on the eve of the annual ALTA Aviation Leaders Forum, a gathering of more than 400 senior airline and aviation industry executives.

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Boeing, UOP, Masdar Institute and Industry Team Launch Study on Sustainability Of Renewable Jet Fuel Made from Halophytes

October 06, 2009

UOP’s hydrotreated renewable jet fuel process and LCA. Source: Evaluation of Bio-Derived Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosenes. Click to enlarge.

Boeing and Honeywell’s UOP are commissioning a study on the sustainability of a leading family of saltwater-based plant (halophytes) candidates for renewable jet fuel. The study is being commissioned as part of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group consortium (earlier post).

The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi will lead the study, which will examine the overall potential for sustainable, large-scale production of biofuels made from salicornia bigelovii and saltwater mangroves. Yale University’s School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and UOP will also participate in the analysis, which will include an assessment of the total carbon lifecycle of biofuels.

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UOP Renewable Jet Fuel Technology to Produce Almost 600,000 Gallons of Renewable Jet Fuel for US Navy and Air Force

October 01, 2009

Process flow diagram for the production of synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK) for jet fuel. Source: UOP. Click to enlarge.

UOP LLC’s renewable jet fuel process technology will be used to produce almost 600,000 gallons of renewable jet fuel for the US Navy and Air Force as part of a joint program for the US Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) for alternative fuels testing and certification.

Working with feedstock partners Sustainable Oils, Solazyme and Cargill, Honeywell’s UOP will produce up to 190,000 gallons of fuel for the Navy and 400,000 gallons for the Air Force from sustainable, non-food feedstocks including animal fats, algae and camelina. (Earlier post.) The initial fuel, to be tested in a 50:50 blend, will be delivered in 2009 and 2010 to support certification and testing of alternative fuels for US military aircraft.

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Airlines Present Climate Change Proposals at UN Forum; 50% Absolute Cut In Emissions by 2050 Compared to 2005

September 23, 2009

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) presented its proposals for December’s climate change talks to the UN Secretary General’s Summit on Climate Change in New York. The forum took place in the run-up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Copenhagen this December. The aviation sector is united in calling on world leaders to retain a global sectoral approach to reducing aviation emissions under the leadership of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), working in cooperation with the sector through IATA.

The aviation industry presented a paper outlining the industry’s commitment to three sequential targets: 1) Improving carbon efficiency with a 1.5% average annual improvement in fuel efficiency to 2020; 2) Stabilizing emissions with carbon-neutral growth from 2020; and 3) Emissions reductions with a 50% absolute cut in emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

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Navy to Test 50:50 Hydrotreated Renewable Jet Fuel Blend in F/A-18 Super Hornet; 590,000-Gallon HRJ Solicitation for Navy and Air Force

August 18, 2009

The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) fuels team will flight test a 50:50 blend of hydrotreated renewable JP-5 (HRJ5) and petroleum-based JP-5 in an F/A-18 Super Hornet at Patuxent River, Md., by next spring or summer. Preceding the flight tests will be laboratory and rig testing at Pax River, followed by static engine tests with the Super Hornet’s F414 engine on a test stand at the Lynn, Mass., facility of manufacturer General Electric.

The static tests will probably take place in the December-January time frame, according to Rick Kamin, Navy fuels lead. The NAVAIR fuels team is also getting ready to kick off a similar effort to test and certify biofuels for use on ships.

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EERC Awarded Subcontract to Help Produce 100% Renewable Jet Fuel from Algae

July 29, 2009

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota has been awarded a subcontract by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to help produce renewable jet fuel from algae.

The effort is being funded by the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and is a continuation of the first successful production of 100% renewable fuel for the US military by the EERC. Under a previous DARPA contract, the EERC advanced the development of a feedstock-flexible thermocatalytic cracking and separation process in its production of renewable JP-8 from vegetable oils. (Earlier post.)

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Air Force Office of Scientific Research Awards $3M for Research into Graphene Additives for Novel Aviation and Diesel Fuels

July 21, 2009

The US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) has awarded an interdisciplinary team of scientists led by Princeton engineers a two-year, $3-million grant to develop nanoscale graphene additives for novel fuels to help supersonic jets fly faster and diesel engines cleaner and more efficient.

The funding, which comes as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Research Program (funding opportunity AFOSR-BAA-2009-3), will be used to tackle a fundamental fuel barrier to designing faster supersonic aircraft.

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Five More Airlines Join Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group

July 13, 2009

Five new airlines have been accepted as members of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG), an airline-led industry working group focused on accelerating the development and commercialization of sustainable aviation fuels: Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, TUIfly and Virgin Blue.

Current airline members include Air France, Air New Zealand, ANA (All Nippon Airways), Cargolux, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, KLM, SAS and Virgin Atlantic Airways. Boeing and Honeywell’s UOP, a refining technology developer, are associate members.

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UPS Adopts Plan to Cut Its Airline Carbon Emissions An Additional 20% by 2020; Biofuels Part of the Plan

July 08, 2009

UPS Airlines CO2 emissions per Available Ton Mile, historical and targeted. Click to enlarge.

UPS has adopted a plan to cut the carbon emissions of its airline by an additional 20% by 2020 to 1.24 CO₂ lbs/ATM (Available Ton Mile), for a cumulative reduction of 42% since 1990. UPS intends to achieve its 2020 airline goals by:

• Investing in more fuel-efficient aircraft types and engines;
• Fuel-saving operational initiatives, such as lower flight speeds; reduced flight segments, where viable; computer-optimized flight plans; computer-managed aircraft taxi times; and jet engine washing; and
• The introduction of biofuels, which UPS says it believes will be available before 2020.

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ASTM Aviation Fuel Subcommittee Passes Specification Enabling Use of Synthetic Fuel in Aviation

June 26, 2009

The ASTM International Aviation Fuels Subcommittee having responsibility for jet fuel (D02.J0.01) formally voted upon and passed a new fuel specification, labeled DXXXX until final issuance, that will enable use of synthetic fuels in commercial aviation. The specification describes the fuel properties and criteria necessary to control the manufacture and quality of these fuels for aviation use.

The new specification constructs a framework to enable the use of multiple alternative fuels (including both non-renewable and renewable blends) for aviation, and targets complete interchangeability with conventional fuels produced to specification D1655. This specification is being structured, via annexes, to accommodate different classes of alternative fuels.

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Industry Tests Show Bio-Derived Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene Performs as Well as Petroleum Jet Fuel; Aviation Partners Push for Approval for Use

June 18, 2009

Overview of UOP’s Bio-SPK production process. Click to enlarge.

Boeing and a team from across the aviation industry today released high-level elements of a study that shows that sustainable biofuels analyzed in a series of test flights performed favorably in comparison to petroleum-based fuel.

According to the study, Evaluation of Bio-Derived Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (Bio-SPK), a series of laboratory, ground and flight tests conducted between 2006 and 2009 indicated the Bio-SPK test fuels performed as well as or better than typical petroleum-based Jet A. The testing included several commercial airplane engine types using blends of up to 50% petroleum-based Jet A/Jet A-1 fuel and 50% sustainable biofuels.

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“Clean Sky” Joint Technology Initiative Launches Initial €25M Call for Research Proposals on Cleaner Air Transport

June 17, 2009

The Clean Sky JTI effort is arranged around six technology demonstrators. Click to enlarge.

The European Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) launched a call for proposals for aeronautical R&D with a total value of more than €25 million (US$35 million), focused on the development of a new generation of quieter, more fuel-efficient and lower emitting aircraft.

The Clean Sky JTI is a major public/private partnership to develop technology that can reduce aviation CO₂ emissions by 40%; NO_x emissions by 60%; and noise by 50%. (Earlier post.) This call is the first in what will be one of Europe’s biggest ever research projects, with €1.6 billion (US$2.2 billion) to be invested up to 2014. The Clean Sky initiative will run until 31 December 2017.

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GE Aviation Unveils GEnx Engine at Paris Air Show; Up to 15% More Fuel Efficient

June 16, 2009

The GEnx-1B turbofan engine. Click to enlarge.

GE Aviation unveiled its new GEnx engine in a special ceremony at the 2009 Paris Air Show at Le Bourget. The GEnx engine offers up to 15% improved fuel efficiency compared with GE’s CF6 engine that it will replace. This fuel efficiency translates to approximately 15% less CO₂. The GEnx will also be the quietest engine that GE has produced, based on the ratio of decibels to pounds of thrust.

The new engine is designed to stay on wing 30% longer, while using 30% fewer parts, greatly reducing maintenance. The GEnx’s emissions will be as much as 95% below current regulatory limits, ensuring future compliance. Based on the GE90”s proven architecture and often called its “little brother,” the GEnx combines a number of breakthrough technologies:

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GE and NASA To Begin Wind-Tunnel Testing This Summer of Open Rotor Jet Engine Systems

June 12, 2009

Basic rendering of an open rotor engine. Source: GE. Click to enlarge.

Following several months refurbishing a special NASA test rig, GE Aviation and NASA this summer will begin a wind-tunnel test program to evaluate counter-rotating fan-blade systems for open rotor jet engine designs. (Earlier post.)

The testing will be conducted throughout 2009 and early 2010 at wind tunnel facilities at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. This is not a full engine test, but a component rig test to evaluate sub-scale fan systems using GE’s and NASA’s advanced computational tools and data acquisition systems.

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Waggling Air Flow Sideways Over Wings Could Cut Aircraft Fuel Consumption And Emissions by 20%

May 25, 2009

Aircraft wings which redirect air to waggle sideways over their surfaces could significantly reduce drag and thus cut fuel consumption and emissions by 20%, according to researchers at the University of Warwick (UK). The new approach, which promises to dramatically reduce mid-flight drag, exploits Helmholtz resonance—the same phenomenon that happens when blowing over a bottle—to produce micro-scale jet flows in response to turbulent noise.

The main contributor to aerodynamic drag, and thus fuel consumption and emissions, is fine-scale turbulence that exists very near to the aircraft’s surface during cruise. The Turbulence Flow Control group at the University of Warwick has been studying non-powered (passive) flow control actuators as a means of reducing drag for some time, with the goal of developing flow-control technologies capable of major drag reductions on passenger jet aircraft.

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GE Aviation Advancing Next-Generation Engine Core Program eCore

March 15, 2009

GE Aviation is advancing jet propulsion and its next-generation engine core program, called eCore, through several private- and government-funded R&D programs, many with key technology milestones this year. eCore is designed to offer aircraft operators better fuel efficiency and lower emissions over GE’s best engines in operation today. (Earlier post.)

The engine core—comprising the compressor, combustor, and high-pressure turbine—is the heart of a jet engine. To this core, the fan system is attached to complete a jet engine. The fan provides thrust; the core provides the power to operate the fan and some thrust. The eCore program involves testing demonstrator engines and engine hot sections with aggressive technical goals, new materials and 3D aerodynamic designs, unique architectures, as well as advances in electric power and thermal management.

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NASA and Partners Testing Coal and Gas F-T Synthetic Jet Fuels at 100% and 50% Blend

February 02, 2009

Sampling tubing and instrumentation control cables laid out on the pavement beside NASA’s DC-8 flying laboratory in between synthetic fuels emission and engine performance tests at the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif. Credit: Tom Tschida, NASA. Click to enlarge.

The National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) and 11 other research groups, including researchers from the US Department of Defense (DoD), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are testing two synthetic jet fuels derived from gasified coal and natural gas using the Fischer-Tropsch process (Jet CTL and GTL).

The tests for the Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment (AAFEX) are being run through 3 Feb at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in California, and are measuring the performance and emissions of the two fuels.

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DARPA Awards SAIC $25M Prime Contract to Develop Algae-Derived JP-8 Fuel

January 26, 2009

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) a prime contract to help develop an affordable alternative to petroleum-derived jet fuel (JP-8) from agricultural and aquacultural feedstock materials.

Under this contract, SAIC will lead a team of industrial and academic organizations to develop an integrated process for producing JP-8 from algae at a cost target of $3/gal. SAIC and its team will develop technologies and processes to help achieve DARPA’s goal including integrating algae strain selection, water and nutrient sourcing, farming, harvesting, separation, triglyceride purification, algal oil processing, and economic modeling and analysis.

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JAL Biofuel Demo Flight First to Use Energy Crop Camelina

December 17, 2008

Japan Airlines (JAL) will be the first airline to conduct a demonstration flight using a sustainable biofuel refined from the energy crop camelina. The demo flight, which will test a blend of 50% biofuel and 50% traditional Jet-A jet (kerosene) fuel in one of the four Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines of a JAL-owned Boeing 747-300 aircraft, is planned for 30 January 2009 out of Haneda Airport, Tokyo.

The biofuel component—a synthetic paraffinic kerosene produced by UOP (earlier post)—will be produced from a mixture of three second-generation biofuel feedstocks: camelina (84%), jatropha (less than 16%), and algae (less than 1%).

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Australia Publishes Aviation Green Paper; Precursor to White Paper on Aviation Strategy in 2009

December 07, 2008

Passenger air journeys within and to and from Australia. Click to enlarge.

The Government of Australia has published an Aviation Green Paper, and is inviting comments on it to be considered in the development of a White Paper in 2009. The Aviation White Paper will be the first attempt to bring all aspects of aviation policy together in a single forward-looking statement.

Australia’s economy is heavily dependent upon aviation, given its vast internal distances and isolation from the rest of the world, says Anthony Albanese, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. The Aviation White Paper will be intended to deliver a blueprint for the long-term, safe and sustainable development of Australian aviation over the next 20 years.

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Bye Energy and Porous Power Partner to Develop Energy Storage Systems for Hybrid-Electric and Electric General Aviation Use

November 22, 2008

Sectional view across a typical lithium cell electrode pair modeling hypothetical electrical and ionic resistances with electrolyte solution/gel filling pore spaces. More porous components improve conductivity levels throughout the cell and directly affect power and capacity. Click to enlarge. Source: Beard and Feaver 2006

Bye Energy, an integrator of alternative energy and renewable fuel technologies for the business and general aviation sectors, and Porous Power Technologies (PPT), the developer of highly porous, laminable separator membranes for lithium-ion batteries, are collaborating to develop energy storage systems for aviation use.

Bye Energy is developing an electric energy propulsion system that will be used in single- and twin-engine light aircraft. Existing aircraft can be retrofitted with these systems, and new aircraft can be built with either electric system in place.

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