Honeywell team on biofuel for airplanes
Phoenix-based Honeywell Aerospace has formed a partnership with Airbus, JetBlue Airways and others to find a way to make jet fuel from renewable sources, such as algae and a hearty arid plant called jatropha.
The technology could help break the airline industry’s tie to high-cost fossil fuels, leading to more profitable operations and lower fares. It also could help temper global warming by reducing greenhouse gases emitted by aircraft.
The green fuel will be tested in Phoenix in an auxiliary power unit made by Honeywell. The small turbine engines provide electricity to the aircraft when the main engines are off. Honeywell Aerospace has been working on developing engines that burn alternative fuels.
UOP LLC, a Honeywell subsidiary that develops technology for oil and gas refiners and petrochemical producers, is a partner along with International Aero Engines, an international jet-engine maker with headquarters in East Hartford, Conn.
The group is focusing its work on so-called “second generation” biofeedstocks, such as algae and poisonous plants like jatropha, because they don’t impact food and water supplies.
The increasing use of “first generation” biofeedstocks, such as corn, has impacted water resources and has been blamed for food shortages and rising food and gas prices.
The term feedstock refers to the raw material, such as crude oil, which is used by refiners to make fuel. Feedstock typically represents about 85 percent of the cost of fuel production.
Forming the basis of the research is a process, developed by UOP, which converts natural oils and greases into jet fuel.
The green jet fuel meets all the critical performance specifications for flight and is an alternative to traditional kerosene-based fuel.
It was developed under a project funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to explore the use of biofuels in military aircraft.
Susan Gross, a spokeswoman for UOP in Des Plaines, Ill., noted the DARPA study used more traditional biofeedstocks such as corn, soybeans and canola, which are relatively thirsty and a source of food for humans and animals.
“This time we wanted to focus on feedstocks that do not impact water supplies or compete with food for humans and animals,” Gross said.
Europe’s Airbus has been experimenting with alternative fuels on its twin-deck A380, the world’s largest commercial aircraft.
But the experiments have involved mixing jet fuel with another fossil fuel, liquid natural gas, which limits the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Biofuels made from renewable resources have fewer emissions and potentially could cost less than alternative fossil fuels.
Airbus and customers such as JetBlue are eager for a source of green jet fuel to save money, meet possible future restrictions on carbon emissions, and appease environmentally conscious passengers.
Eventually, the biofuels will be tested in main engines made by International Euro Engines.
Source: azcentral.com
Tags: airlines, alternate fuel, biofuel, fuel costs, fuel economy, Honeywell