Project: ECLIF

Full Name: Emission and Climate Impact of Alternative Fuels

Homepage: none

Platform/Location/Time: Manching Air Base, Germany, September-October 2015

Overall Goal:
Evaluate the combustion performance, emission-reduction benefits, and contrail characteristics of alternative jet fuels

What we studied:
Two standard jet fuels and four different alternative fuel/jet fuel blends of widely varying aromatic hydrocarbon and sulfur content were burned in the DLR Airbus A320 Advanced Technology Research Aircraft (ATRA) during extensive ground and cruise altitude emissions/contrail sampling tests. The ATRA completed nine separate, 2.5-hour flights with an instrumented DLR Falcon 20 measuring particle and gas emissions and contrail ice characteristics. After each flight, the ATRA was parked in an engine run-up area and emissions were measured at the thrust settings encompassing those employed during flight; the tests required almost an hour of engine run time, but produced a much more extensive and statistically-reliable set of engine emission data than could be obtained in flight. Data analysis is just getting underway, but preliminary results are consistent with those from ACCESS-II and indicate that fuels with reduced aromatic and sulfur content produce lower particle emissions.

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