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Boeing Developing Biojet Fuel

Page history last edited by PBworks 16 years, 1 month ago

BIOJET FUEL FOR COMMERCIAL AVIATION

 

The following is an abstract from an article by David Daggett and Danny Hatfield of the Boeing Company in the February 2008 issue of Aerogram, published by Cranfield University Aerospace. Mr Daggett is the Project Manager for Boeing’s Alternate Fuel Team.

 

 

The article stated that the Boeing Commercial Airplanes has initiated a high-priority research and design programme aiming at greater fuel efficiency and the introduction of alternate aviation fuels, with the following targets:

 

1.Reducing aviation CO2 emissions by 25% by year 2020.

 

2.Improving the fuel efficiency of next-generation airplane designs by 25%.

 

3.Helping to commercialise sustainable, low-carbon lifecycle jet fuels.

 

4.Accelerating industrial research by conducting demonstrations based on current biofuels on a commercial airplane.

 

5. Research and development into 2nd generation biojet fuels derived from algae processes.

 

 

Parts of this work programme are being carried out in conjunction with external academic institutions such as Cranfield and also some aeroengine manufacturers.

 

These biologically sourced biojet fuels may be capable of reducing overall CO2 lifecycle costs by 50-80%. They are attractive because they can be derived from waste material or crops which do not make demands on high-quality land needed for human food production.

 

However, biojet fuels must be capable of meeting existing requirements, ie. withstanding a low-temperature operating environment in aircraft tanks during high-altitude cruise and also resistance to breakdown from high temperatures while passing through the engine fuel system. Several samples of recent fuel blends produced by algae processes have already passed low-temperature tests and no impassable technical obstacles have been identified.

 

The Virgin Atlantic 747 flight from London to Amsterdam in February 2008 using biofuels to power one engine was the first flight within element 4 of the research programme above.

 

The article concluded that greater fuel efficiency and use of alternate fuels will help in the short term to reduce worldwide demand for jet fuels derived from crude oil. In the longer term, such fuels will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aviation and their consequent impact on global climate change.

 

David Bright

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