Base Of Aircraft Data Research Articles

Forecast of air traffic's CO<SUB align="right">2 and NO<SUB align="right">x emissions until 2030

This article presents both methodology and results of an emissions forecast for air traffic until the year 2030. Aircraft emissions include carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitric oxides (NOx), which influence atmospheric chemistry and may contribute to global warming. The forecast is based on a simulation model, which predicts future air traffic and its emissions using flight schedules for a base year in combination with traffic growth assumptions and a fleet rollover simulation. Aircraft performance software is applied to estimate fuel consumption, CO2 and NOx emissions. Models from the Base of Aircraft Data (BADA) are used to simulate today's fleet of aircraft, supplemented by additional models representing aircraft of the near future. Forecast results include the number of flights, passenger-kilometres, fuel consumption, CO2 and NOx emissions for air traffic from 2010 until 2030.

항적자료를 활용한 항공기 연료 소모량 추정 및 정확도 분석

As global warming becoming an environmentally serious issue, more attention is drawn to fuel consumption which is the direct source of green house gas emission. The fuel consumption by aircraft operation is not an exception. Motivated by the societal and environmental context, this paper explains a method for estimation of aircraft fuel consumed during their flights as well as the computational process using real flight track data. Applying so-called ‘Total Energy Model’ along with aircraft specific parameters provided in EUROCONTROL’s Base of Aircraft Data (BADA) to aircraft radar track data, we estimate fuel consumption of individual aircraft flown between Gimpo and Jeju airports. We then assess the estimation accuracy by comparing the estimated fuel consumption with the actual one collected from an airline. The computational results are quite encouraging in that the method is able to estimate the actual fuel consumption within ±6~11% of error margin. The limitations and possible enhancements of the method are also discussed.

Generic Global Aerodynamic Model for Aircraft

Multivariate-orthogonal-function modeling was applied to wind-tunnel databases for eight different aircraft to identify a generic global aerodynamic model structure that could be used for any of the aircraft. For each aircraft database and each nondimensional aerodynamic coefficient, global models were identified from multivariate polynomials in the nondimensional states and controls, using an orthogonalization procedure. A predicted-square-error criterion was used to automatically select the model terms. Modeling terms selected in at least half of the analyses, which totaled 45 terms, were retained to form the generic global aerodynamic model structure. Least squares was used to estimate the model parameters and associated uncertainty that best fit the generic global aerodynamic model structure to each database. The result was a single generic aerodynamic model structure that could be used to accurately characterize the global aerodynamics for any of the eight aircraft, simply by changing the values of the model parameters. Nonlinear flight simulations were used to demonstrate that the generic global aerodynamic model accurately reproduces trim solutions, local dynamic behavior, and global dynamic behavior under large-amplitude excitation. This compact global aerodynamic model can decrease flight-computer memory requirements for implementing onboard fault detection or flight control systems, enable quick changes for conceptual aircraft models, and provide smooth analytical functional representations of the global aerodynamics for control and optimization applications. All information required to construct global aerodynamic models for nonlinear simulations of the eight aircraft is provided in this paper.

Evaluation of Fuel Benefits Depending on Continuous Descent Approach Procedures

In this work arrival traffic following a continuous descent approach profile into the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was simulated based on actual recorded traffic data. The fuel burn for the simulated traffic was estimated using the Base of Aircraft Data (BADA) Thrust Specific Fuel Consumption model and compared to a baseline simulation of the as-flown trajectories, where the continuous descent approach profile was not followed. Several sources of variability that impact the fuel savings were examined, including separation minima, types of maneuver to absorb the delays, and composition of aircraft weight category in the fleet mix. The results indicate that fuel savings depended on a number of factors, including aircraft weight, number of step-downs, and the type of air traffic control maneuver used to impart delay to the aircraft. These effects are estimated using simulation.

Fuel Burn Model Development on Implementation of Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM)

Much work has already been done with this end in mind; however, given the high degree of complexity associated with a large system such as this, there is opportunity for improvements in modeling capability. The FAA system for assessing Aviation’s Global Emissions (SAGE) is a well-established model for the creation of global inventories of aviation fuel use and emissions. The first is the way in which the specific fuel consumption (SFC) is calculated. Previous to this study, SFC was calculated through the methods put forward in EUROCONTROL’s Base of Aircraft Data (BADA). The results of this analysis provide insight into not only the benefits of RVSM, but also the effects of these model improvements and the efficacy of the different efficiency metrics used.

Collision risk-capacity tradeoff analysis of an en-route corridor model

Flow corridors are a new class of trajectory-based airspace which derives from the next generation air transportation system concept of operations. Reducing the airspace complexity and increasing the capacity are the main purposes of the en-route corridor. This paper analyzes the collision risk-capacity tradeoff using a combined discrete–continuous simulation method. A basic two-dimensional en-route flow corridor with performance rules is designed as the operational environment. A second-order system is established by combining the point mass model and the proportional derivative controller together to simulate the self-separation operations of the aircrafts in the corridor and the operation performance parameters from the User Manual for the Base of Aircraft Data are used in this research in order to improve the reliability. Simulation results indicate that the aircrafts can self-separate from each other efficiently by adjusting their velocities, and rationally setting the values of some variables can improve the rate and stability of the corridor with low risks of loss of separation.

Learning the aircraft mass and thrust to improve the ground-based trajectory prediction of climbing flights

Ground-based aircraft trajectory prediction is a major concern in air traffic control and management. A safe and efficient prediction is a prerequisite to the implementation of automated tools that detect and solve conflicts between trajectories. This paper focuses on the climb phase, because predictions are much less accurate in this phase than in the cruising phase.Trajectory prediction usually relies on a point-mass model of the forces acting on the aircraft to predict the successive points of the future trajectory. The longitudinal acceleration and climb rate are determined by an equation relating the modeled power of the forces to the kinetic and potential energy rate. Using such a model requires knowledge of the aircraft state (mass, current thrust setting, position, velocity, etc.), atmospheric conditions (wind, temperature) and aircraft intent (thrust law, speed intent). Most of this information is not available to ground-based systems.In this paper, we improve the trajectory prediction accuracy by learning some of the unknown point-mass model parameters from past observations. These unknown parameters, mass and thrust, are adjusted by fitting the modeled specific power to the observed energy rate. The thrust law is learned from historical data, and the mass is estimated on past trajectory points. The adjusted parameters are not meant to be exact, however they are designed so as to improve the energy rate prediction. The performances of the proposed method are compared with the results of standard model-based methods relying on the Eurocontrol Base of Aircraft DAta (BADA), using two months of radar track records and weather data.

Aircraft Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Under Both Model and Design Variables Uncertainty

Low-fidelity analytical models are often used at the conceptual aircraft design stage. Because of uncertainties on these models and their corresponding input variables, deterministic optimization may achieve under-design or over-design. Therefore it is important to already consider these uncertainties at the conceptual design stage in order to avoid inefficient design and then costly time over runs due to re-design. This paper presents a procedure for reliable and robust optimization of an aircraft at the conceptual design phase. Uncertainties on model and design variables are taken into account in a probabilistic setting. More precisely, at each point of the optimization process uncertainties are modeled by an adaptive normal law strategy in order to fit the historical aircraft database. The statistical parameters are adjusted depending on the available information at the current point of the optimization process. To improve computational cost, response surface approximations are constructed to represent reliability constraints. The developed methodology is applied to the conceptual design of a short range aircraft. Compared to standard deterministic optimization without design margins, the result shows a modest increase on weight, which allows however to ensure a desired reliability and robustness of the design compared to the unreliable and sensitive deterministic optimum.

Benefits on Implementation of Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) in Uzbekistan

Much work has already been done with this end in mind; however, given the high degree of complexity associated with a large system such as this, there is opportunity for improvements in modeling capability. The FAA system for assessing Aviation’s Global Emissions (SAGE) is a well-established model for the creation of global inventories of aviation fuel use and emissions. The first is the way in which the specific fuel consumption (SFC) is calculated. Previous to this study, SFC was calculated through the methods put forward in EUROCONTROL’s Base of Aircraft Data (BADA). The results of this analysis provide insight into not only the benefits of RVSM, but also the effects of these model improvements and the efficacy of the different efficiency metrics used.

Accuracy Evaluation of an Aircraft Performance Model with Airliner Flight Data

This paper quantitatively evaluates the accuracy of the base of aircraft data (BADA) model by comparing calculated fuel flow and total fuel consumption with flight data recorded by airliners' quick access recorder systems. For future more efficient air transportation system research, it is necessary to derive fuel consumption for an arbitrary flight trajectory with good accuracy. BADA, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) aircraft performance model is widely used for such purposes, but there is only a small number of papers which discuss its accuracy with actual flight data. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the BADA model has sufficient accuracy to deal with the study of air transportation systems. As a result of comparison conducted for a single fleet of twin engine wide-body jet passenger aircraft, calculated fuel flow showed good agreement with the flight data in the cruise phase and it was found that the error between the BADA model and flight data falls within plus or minus 5 [%] for a whole flight.

Business opportunities in aircraft cabin conversion and refurbishing

This paper identifies several meaningful business opportunity cases in the area of aircraft cabin conversion and refurbishing and predicts the market volume and the world distribution for each of them: 1) international cabins, 2) domestic cabins, 3) aircraft on operating lease, 4) freighter conversions and 5) VIP completions. This implies the determination of cabin modification/conversion scenarios, along with their duration and frequency. Factors driving the cabin conversion and refurbishing are identified. Several aircraft databases, containing the current world feet as well as the forecasted fleet for the next years, are analyzed. The results are obtained by creating a program able to read and analyze the gathered data. It is shown that about 38000 cabin redesigns will be undertaken within the next 20 years. About 2500 conversions from jetliners into freighters and 25000 cabin modifications at VIP standards will emerge on the market. The North American and European markets will keep providing good business opportunities in this area. The Asian market, however, is growing fast, and its very strong influence on demand puts it in the front rank for the next 20 years.

Relationship between fuel consumption and altitude for commercial aircraft during descent: Preliminary assessment with a genetic algorithm

Despite fuel flow rates being low during descent compared to climb and cruise, the potential exists for significant fuel savings during that phase of flight. Increased fuel use, costs and related environmental impacts are associated with stepped descents leading to low level flights and holding in the air due to delays or slot conflicts. Except for the Base of Aircraft Data (BADA) model, little research has been reported on this relationship for aircraft fuel consumption. In this study, the negative impact of low level flight is examined and a relationship between fuel consumption and altitude established using real flight data and the genetic algorithm (GA) technique. Exponential models are established between fuel consumption and altitude, and corresponding results exhibit similar model coefficients and low residuals for three of four flights. Moreover, it is found that the relationship between fuel flow and altitude for similar flight configurations in the descent phase can be explained by a generic exponential model.

Utilizing BADA (Base of Aircraft Data) as an On-Board Navigation Decision Support System in Commercial Aircrafts

The European organization for the Safety of Air Navigation is developing and maintaining BADA for use in trajectory simulation within the field of Air Traffic Management (ATM). There has been continuous research on using BADA for the estimation of fuel consumption and aviation global emission. In contrast, little attention has been paid to utilize BADA as an on-board navigation support system. In this research, we propose a framework using BADA's operation data to check if an aircraft is operating within a recommended speed, rate of climb or descent (ROCD), or fuel flow. Various simulated flight scenarios were introduced in a controlled deterministic environment, and the results accurately verified the concept of operation.

Current status of the ability of the GEMS/MACC models to reproduce the tropospheric CO vertical distribution as measured by MOZAIC

Abstract. Vertical profiles of CO taken from the MOZAIC aircraft database are used to globally evaluate the performance of the GEMS/MACC models, including the ECMWF-Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) model coupled to the CTM MOZART-3 with 4DVAR data assimilation for the year 2004. This study provides a unique opportunity to compare the performance of three offline CTMs (MOZART-3, MOCAGE and TM5) driven by the same meteorology as well as one coupled atmosphere/CTM model run with data assimilation, enabling us to assess the potential gain brought by the combination of online transport and the 4DVAR chemical satellite data assimilation. First we present a global analysis of observed CO seasonal averages and interannual variability for the years 2002–2007. Results show that despite the intense boreal forest fires that occurred during the summer in Alaska and Canada, the year 2004 had comparably lower tropospheric CO concentrations. Next we present a validation of CO estimates produced by the MACC models for 2004, including an assessment of their ability to transport pollutants originating from the Alaskan/Canadian wildfires. In general, all the models tend to underestimate CO. The coupled model and the CTMs perform best in Europe and the US where biases range from 0 to -25% in the free troposphere and from 0 to -50% in the surface and boundary layers (BL). Using the 4DVAR technique to assimilate MOPITT V4 CO significantly reduces biases by up to 50% in most regions. However none of the models, even the IFS-MOZART-3 coupled model with assimilation, are able to reproduce well the CO plumes originating from the Alaskan/Canadian wildfires at downwind locations in the eastern US and Europe. Sensitivity tests reveal that deficiencies in the fire emissions inventory and injection height play a role.

BADA: An advanced aircraft performance model for present and future ATM systems

AbstractThis paper gives an overview of Base of Aircraft Data (BADA), an Aircraft Performance Model developed and maintained by EUROCONTROL. BADA is based on a kinetic approach to aircraft performance modelling, which models aircraft forces. The intended use of BADA is trajectory simulation and prediction in Air Traffic Management (ATM) Research and Development and strategic planning in ground ATM operations. BADA is used for various ATM‐related studies which require information on aircraft performances. The paper provides details on the existing BADA family 3 model and the latest achievements in the development of the new BADA family 4 model. Several examples of the applications of using BADA are provided, together with information on how to obtain access to BADA. Copyright © 2010 EUROCONTROL. All rights reserved.

Preliminary design correlations for twin civil turboprops and comparison with jet aircraft

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare twin engine civil turboprop aircraft with their jet engine counterparts; to simplify the preliminary design process and the initial evaluation of twin civil turboprop aircraft; to include noise level consideration in the preliminary design; and to form a current database of design parameters for representative civil turboprop aircraft.Design/methodology/approachThe paper finds linear correlations between key design parameters. It compares the corresponding correlations for turboprop and jet engine aircraft.FindingsThe paper finds direct linear relationships between design parameters including noise levels; simplified preliminary design process; and differences in the sensitivity of design parameters between turboprop and jet aircraft.Research limitations/implicationsThe turboprop aircraft database needs to be expanded. Also, investigation of non‐linear relations between design parameters is a next step.Practical implicationsQuick assessment and comparisons of existing designs is an outcome. Also, the preliminary design process is simplified and expedited. Lastly, noise regulations can affect the design right from the beginning and not at a later stage.Originality/valueNew correlations which simplify the current procedures for preliminary design of twin civil turboprop aircraft. In addition, the noise is included right from the beginning of the design. Direct comparison between turboprop and jet aircraft afforded via their correlated preliminary design parameters. Finally, a database of twin turboprops is formed with specially selected aircraft that are current and cover a wide spectrum of sizes.

Performance Evaluation of a Novel 4D Trajectory Prediction Model for Civil Aircraft

Future air traffic management will require a variety of automated decision support tools to provide conflict-free trajectories and their associated error margins. The ability to correctly forecast aircraft trajectories, i.e. trajectory prediction, is the central component of such automated tools, which will enable continued provision of safe and efficient services in increasingly congested skies. Current approaches for trajectory prediction, available in the open literature, make a number of assumptions in order to simplify the mathematical models of aircraft motion. Furthermore, many existing methods perform three-dimensional trajectory prediction, in which information on expected times of arrival at significant points along the intended aircraft route is not considered. This results in inaccurate trajectories not suitable for conflict detection and resolution. This paper presents a novel four-dimensional trajectory prediction scheme that makes full use of data on expected times of arrival. A three dimensional point-mass model for a standard civil aircraft is used to emulate aircraft dynamics, while the aircraft operating mode is characterised through a set of discrete variables. The aircraft performance model used relies on the EUROCONTROL Base of Aircraft Data (BADA) set and the computed trajectory accounts for the effects of wind. Inputs include navigation data and aircraft intent information, which unambiguously define the trajectory to be computed according to the flight plan. In the proposed model, aircraft intent information is summarised in a simple, but effective, set of instructions contained in a Flight Script. Furthermore, two key innovations to trajectory prediction are introduced. Firstly, a novel scheme to emulate the control system used for aircraft lateral guidance is proposed and secondly, on the basis of aircraft intent information, a new procedure to estimate speed is presented. The performance of the enhanced trajectory model proposed is quantified using a detailed operational dataset (real flight data) captured in a European airspace. The results show that, over an extended time-horizon, the enhanced model is more accurate than two representative existing methods, and that it is suitable for reliable trajectory prediction.

Assessing the photochemical impact of snow [formula omitted] emissions over Antarctica during ANTCI 2003

Surface and aircraft measurements show large amounts of reactive nitrogen over the Antarctic plateau during the ANTCI 2003 experiment. We make use of 1-D and 3-D chemical transport model simulations to analyze these measurements and assess the photochemical impact of snow NO x emissions. Boundary layer heights measured by SODAR at the South Pole were simulated reasonably well by the polar version of MM5 after a modification of ETA turbulence scheme. The average of model-derived snow NO x emissions ( 3.2 – 4.2 × 10 8 molec cm - 2 s - 1 ) at the South Pole is similar to the measured flux of 3.9 × 10 8 molec cm - 2 s - 1 during ISCAT 2000. Daytime snow NO x emission is parameterized as a function of temperature and wind speed. Surface measurements of NO, HNO 3 and HNO 4 , and balloon measurements of NO at the South Pole are reasonably simulated by 1-D and 3-D models. Compared to Twin Otter measurements of NO over plateau regions, 3-D model simulated NO concentrations are at the low end of the observations, suggesting either that the parameterization based on surface measurements at the South Pole underestimates emissions at higher-elevation plateau regions or that the limited aircraft database may not be totally representative for the season of the year sampled. However, the spatial variability of near-surface NO measured by the aircraft is captured by the model to a large extent, indicating that snow NO x emissions are through a common mechanism. An average emission flux of 0.25 kg N km - 2 month - 1 is calculated for December 2003 over the plateau (elevation above 2.5 km). About 50% of reactive nitrogen is lost by deposition and the other 50% by transport. The 3-D model results indicate a shallow but highly photochemically active oxidizing “canopy” enshrouding the entire Antarctic plateau due to snow NO x emissions.

Evaluation of Ice Water Content Retrievals from Cloud Radar Reflectivity and Temperature Using a Large Airborne In Situ Microphysical Database

Abstract The objective of this paper is to assess the performances of the proposed ice water content (IWC)–radar reflectivity Z and IWC–Z–temperature T relationships for accurate retrievals of IWC from radar in space or at ground-based sites, in the framework of the forthcoming CloudSat spaceborne radar, and of the European CloudNET and U.S. Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program projects. For this purpose, a large airborne in situ microphysical database is used to perform a detailed error analysis of the IWC–Z and IWC–Z–T methods. This error analysis does not include the error resulting from the mass–dimension relationship assumed in these methods, although the expected magnitude of this error is bounded in the paper. First, this study reveals that the use of a single IWC–Z relationship to estimate IWC at global scale would be feasible up to −15 dBZ, but for larger reflectivities (and therefore larger IWCs) different sets of relationships would have to be used for midlatitude and tropical ice clouds. New IWC–Z and IWC–Z–T relationships are then developed from the large aircraft database and by splitting this database into midlatitude and tropical subsets, and an error analysis is performed. For the IWC–Z relationships, errors decrease roughly linearly from +210%/−70% for IWC = 10−4 g m−3 to +75%/−45% for IWC = 10−2 g m−3, are nearly constant (+50%/−33%) for the intermediate IWCs (0.03–1 g m−3), and then linearly increase up to +210%/−70% for the largest IWCs. The error curves have the same shape for the IWC–Z–T relationships, with a general reduction of errors with respect to the IWC–Z relationships. Comparisons with radar–lidar retrievals confirm these findings. The main improvement brought by the use of temperature as an additional constraint to the IWC retrieval is to reduce both the systematic overestimation and rms differences of the small IWCs (IWC < 0.01 g m−3). For the large IWCs, the use of temperature also results in a slight reduction of the rms differences but in a substantial reduction (by a factor of 2) of the systematic underestimation of the large IWCs, probably owing to a better account of the Mie effect when IWC–Z relationships are stratified by temperature.

Assessing the photochemical impact of snow [formula omitted] emissions over Antarctica during ANTCI 2003

Surface and aircraft measurements show large amounts of reactive nitrogen over the Antarctic plateau during the ANTCI 2003 experiment. We make use of 1-D and 3-D chemical transport model simulations to analyze these measurements and assess the photochemical impact of snow NO x emissions. Boundary layer heights measured by SODAR at the South Pole were simulated reasonably well by the polar version of MM5 after a modification of ETA turbulence scheme. The average of model-derived snow NO x emissions ( 3.2 – 4.2 × 10 8 molec cm - 2 s - 1 ) at the South Pole is similar to the measured flux of 3.9 × 10 8 molec cm - 2 s - 1 during ISCAT 2000. Daytime snow NO x emission is parameterized as a function of temperature and wind speed. Surface measurements of NO, HNO 3 and HNO 4 , and balloon measurements of NO at the South Pole are reasonably simulated by 1-D and 3-D models. Compared to Twin Otter measurements of NO over plateau regions, 3-D model simulated NO concentrations are at the low end of the observations, suggesting either that the parameterization based on surface measurements at the South Pole underestimates emissions at higher-elevation plateau regions or that the limited aircraft database may not be totally representative for the season of the year sampled. However, the spatial variability of near-surface NO measured by the aircraft is captured by the model to a large extent, indicating that snow NO x emissions are through a common mechanism. An average emission flux of 0.25 kg N km - 2 month - 1 is calculated for December 2003 over the plateau (elevation above 2.5 km). About 50% of reactive nitrogen is lost by deposition and the other 50% by transport. The 3-D model results indicate a shallow but highly photochemically active oxidizing “canopy” enshrouding the entire Antarctic plateau due to snow NO x emissions.