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Aviation Headlines and Top Story- Updated July 1, 2009
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* Court Rejects Petition for Review of East Coast Airspace Redesign EIS
* EPA Postpones SPCC Compliance Deadline to November 2010
* Las Vegas Loses Challenge to McCarran Airport Flight Path
* Center to Study Combined Health Effects of Noise and Air Pollution
* Chicago Cultivates Sustainability in O’Hare Modernization Program
* Airports Urged to Embrace Greater Energy Efficiency
* Tucson to Update its Part 150 Noise Study
* Aviation Infrastructure and Operations Threatened By Climate Change
* ICAO Panel Calls for Lower Emissions Through Fuel Efficiency, Biofuels
* European Airports Establish Framework for Carbon Neutrality
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Bio-Fuels Fare Well in Post-Test Flight Analysis
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Newly completed analysis of test flights using biofuel blends that Continental Airlines and Air New Zealand conducted early this year and late last year, respectively, found improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions compared to petroleum-based jet fuel. “The biofuel blend performed as well as or better than traditional jet fuel, displaying an approximately 1.1 percent increase in fuel efficiency over traditional jet fuel in different stages of the demonstration flight,” according to Continental.
“Overall life cycle greenhouse gas emissions related to using a biofuel of the nature used on the Continental demonstration flight are estimated to be reduced by 60 percent to 80 percent as compared to traditional jet fuel.” Continental conducted the tests in cooperation with Boeing, GE Aviation/CFM International, and fuel technology developer UOP. It was the first biofuel demonstration flight by a North American commercial carrier and the first by a commercial carrier using fuel partially derived from algae.
“We are pleased with the successful results of Continental's biofuel demonstration flight,” said Leah Raney, managing director of global environmental affairs. “We look forward to working with our partners as biofuels go through the certification process, and we hope to see these fuels produced in commercial quantities in the near future.”
Improved Fuel Burn
Air New Zealand reported that analysis of its December 30, 2008 test flight using a jatropha blend indicated improved fuel burn and reduced emissions. A 50-50 jatropha-Jet A-1 blend can be expected to improve fuel burn for a Boeing 747-400 on a 12-hour, 5,800 nautical mile flight by 1.2 per-cent, saving 1.42 tonnes of fuel and reducing CO2 emissions by 4.5 tonnes.
“Overall savings due to these hydro-treated, bio-derived jet fuels from naturally occurring oils is estimated to be a 60-65 percent reduction in GHG emissions relative to petroleum-derived jet fuel,” according to an airline spokesperson. “The test flight has demonstrated that more sustainable air travel can be achieved by refiners, airframe manufacturers, engine makers, and airlines working together. It should also give those drafting fuel certification regulations more confidence to push ahead and reduce the timeline for certification of a bio-derived drop-in jet fuel to occur.”
‘Performed As Well Or Better’
Meanwhile, Boeing released elements of its report on a series of laboratory, ground, and flight tests of sustainable biofuels conducted between 2006 and 2009, including the tests by Continental and Air New Zealand. It concluded that the test fuels “performed as well as or better than typical petroleum-based Jet A,” meeting or exceeding all technical parameters for commercial jet aviation fuel, including freezing point, flash point, fuel density, and viscosity.
The bio-derived synthetic paraffinic kerosene (Bio-SPK) fuels also exhibited greater energy content by mass than typical petroleum-derived jet fuel. “These are very gratifying results,” said Bill Glover, managing director of environmental strategy for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Everyone on the team, and across the industry, is working hard to make sustainable biofuels a real solution for reducing the carbon footprint of aviation, and these results move us closer to that goal.”
Stakeholders Approve
Along with Boeing and UOP, engine-makers GE Aviation, CFM International, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, and Honeywell, and air carriers Air New Zealand (ANZ), Continental Airlines, Japan Airlines (JAL), and Virgin Atlantic reportedly endorsed the report. It encompasses test flights by Continental, ANZ, and JAL using engines by CFM, Rolls-Royce, and Pratt & Whitney, respectively, as well as static testing conducted by GE and a 2008 high-altitude test flight by Virgin Atlantic.
In cooperation with UOP and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Boeing is preparing a comprehensive report for submission to the ASTM International Aviation Fuel Committee later this year. “The report will support efforts to gain approval to use Bio-SPK fuel at up to a 50 percent blend,” according to Boeing.
Copyright 2009 Great Circle Communications LLC. No unauthorized posting, forwarding, or any other form of transmission of this material, by any means, in whole or in part, is allowed.
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