Paraffinic Kerosene Research Articles

The effect of alternative fuels on gaseous and particulate matter (PM) emission performance in an auxiliary power unit (APU)

ABSTRACTThere is a growing interest in the use of alternative fuels in gas turbine engines to reduce emissions. Testing of alternative fuels is expensive when done on a large-scale gas turbine engine. In this study, a re-commissioned small gas turbine auxiliary power unit (APU) has been used to test various blends of Jet A-1, synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK) and diesel with as well as eight other novel fuels. A detailed analysis of performance, gaseous emissions and particulate emissions has been presented in this study. It is observed that aromatic content in general as well as the particular chemical composition of the aromatic compound plays a vital role in particulate emissions generation. SPK fuel shows substantially lower particulate emissions with respect to Jet A. However, not all the species of aromatics negatively impact particulate emissions. Gaseous emissions measured are comparable for all the fuels tested in this study.

High-Performance Jet Fuels Derived from Bio-Based Alkenes by Iron-Catalyzed [2+2] Cycloaddition.

A series of high-performance cycloparaffinic fuels have been generated by [2+2] cycloaddition of the bio-derived alkenes 1-hexene, isoprene, and 1-pentene, catalyzed by a low-valent iron pyridine(diimine) complex [(Me PDI)Fe(N2 )2 (μ-N2 )] [Me PDI=N,N'-(2,6-pyridinediyldiethylidyne)bis(2,6-dimethylbenzenamine)]. Reactions with 1-pentene and 1-hexene resulted in 85 % selectivity to 1,2-cyclobutanes, and 12 % selectivity to acyclic alkenes generated by β-hydride elimination. Self-dimerization of isoprene was sluggish and generated heavier oligomer products, but cross-dimerization of isoprene with 1-hexene afforded primarily a 1,3-cyclobutane product, along with isomers of acyclic C11 mixed dimers. Hydrocarbon mixtures were hydrogenated and fractionally distilled to yield finished fuel mixtures in overall yields of 83-93 % at the multigram scale. The fuels exhibited densities ranging between 0.767 and 0.783 g mL-1 , and net heats of combustion (NHOC) of up to 120.6 kBtu gal-1 (43.8 MJ kg-1 ). These values are higher than conventional synthetic paraffinic kerosenes owing to the higher density and ring strain afforded by the cyclobutane rings. The fuel mixtures also exhibited extremely low viscosities ranging from 2.38 to 4.78 mm2 s-1 at -20 °C, due in part to the presence of the acyclic dimers. The excellent fuel properties of the product mixtures, selectivity for dimer products, high yields, and the ability to use simple bio-derived alkenes as substrates, make the [Fe]-catalyzed [2+2] cycloaddition of unactivated alkenes a compelling route to the synthesis of sustainable high-performance fuels.

Performance Analysis of Deteriorated Engine Powered by Alternative Fuels

An aero-engine is a mechanical turbomachinery that is subjected to a combination of mechanical cyclic and thermal loading due to high temperature and pressure regions, which may degrade the efficiency of engine components. As a result, the engine needs to burn more fuel to maintain the required thrust, thereby increasing emissions. In conjunction with alternative fuel usage in aircraft engines, aim of this study is to analyze the performance of a deteriorated engine powered with alternative fuels. Computational analysis using Gas turbine Simulation Program is conducted for a two-spool high-bypass turbofan engine. A deterioration rate of 0.1% is assumed for 30 days of operation. The alternative fuels used in this study are jatropha bio-synthetic paraffinic kerosene, camelina bio-synthetic paraffinic kerosene, and their blend with Jet-A. Unlike a clean engine, a deteriorated engine has lower air mass flow rate, shaft speed, thrust, thrust specific fuel consumption (SFC), and exhaust gas temperature. However, an increment in engine mass flow rate, engine thrust, and thrust SFC is observed when biofuels are used due to the higher low heating value of the fuels.

Experimental characterization of jet fuels under engine relevant conditions – Part 1: Effect of chemical composition on autoignition of conventional and alternative jet fuels

Conventional and synthetic alternative jet fuels possess distinctive chemical compositions and physical/chemical properties since they are produced through different production processes. In this paper, the autoignition characteristics of four conventional aviation jet fuels (Jet-A POSF-4658, Jet-A POSF-10325, JP-5 POSF-10289, JP-8 POSF-6169), five alternative jet fuels (Syntroleum S-8 (S8), Shell synthetic paraffinic kerosene (Shell SPK), Sasol iso-paraffinic kerosene (Sasol IPK), hydro-processed renewable jet (HRJ8), alcohol to jet (ATJ), and 50/50 vol% blends of JP-8/alternative jet fuels were explored. The objective of the current work is to understand how the chemical composition of the fuels affects the gas phase chemical kinetic behavior and the ignition process of the liquid spray in an engine-relevant environment, thereby ultimately enabling their use in military ground vehicles with compression ignition engines. A modified Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) motored engine was utilized and the gas phase ignition behavior was observed over a wide range of temperatures and pressures, while varying the compression ratio. In addition, an optically accessible constant volume spray combustion chamber was employed to observe significant differences in the global heat release characteristics and physical/chemical ignition delay times of synthetic alternative jet fuels in comparison to the conventional jet fuels. The results of this study show that synthetic alternative jet fuels with predominantly linear and lightly-branched alkane content (S8, Shell SPK and HRJ8) provide stronger low-temperature ignition characteristics, while other types of synthetic alternative jet fuels with high content of highly-branched alkanes (Sasol IPK and ATJ) exhibit weaker low-temperature ignition characteristics, when compared to conventional jet fuels (JP-8, Jet-A and JP-5). Their unique fundamental ignition behaviors, including the percentage of low-temperature heat release (% LTHR), the critical compression ratio (CCR), and the critical equivalence ratio (ϕcrit), are strongly related to the dominant chemical compositions of the fuel in a motored engine.

Emission of Carbonyl and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon Pollutants From the Combustion of Liquid Fuels: Impact of Biofuel Blending

The combustion of conventional fuels (diesel and Jet A-1) with 10–20% vol oxygenated biofuels (ethanol, 1-butanol, methyl octanoate, rapeseed oil methyl ester (RME), diethyl carbonate, tri(propylene glycol)methyl ether, i.e., CH3(OC3H6)3OH, and 2,5-dimethylfuran (2,5-DMF)) and a synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK) was studied. The experiments were performed using an atmospheric pressure laboratory premixed flame and a four-cylinder four-stroke diesel engine operating at 1500 rpm. Soot samples from kerosene blends were collected above a premixed flame for analysis. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were extracted from the soot samples. After fractioning, they were analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV and fluorescence detectors. C1 to C8 carbonyl compounds (CBCs) were collected at the diesel engine exhaust on 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine coated cartridges (DNPH) and analyzed by HPLC with UV detection. The data indicated that blending conventional fuels with biofuels has a significant impact on the emission of both CBCs and PAHs adsorbed on soot. The global concentration of 18 PAHs (1-methyl-naphthalene, 2-methyl-naphthalene, and the 16 U.S. priority EPA PAHs) on soot was considerably lowered using oxygenated fuels, except 2,5-DMF. Conversely, the total carbonyl emission increased by oxygenated biofuels blending. Among them, ethanol and 1-butanol were found to increase considerably the emissions of CBCs.

The blending effect on the sooting tendencies of alternative/conventional jet fuel blends in non-premixed flames

In order to study the blending effect on sooting tendencies for practical alternative/conventional jet fuel blends, the present study has investigated soot formation in non-premixed flames of Jet-A blended with three alternative jet fuels (AJFs), i.e., Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids from camelina (HEFA-Camelina), Fischer-Tropsch Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (FT-SPK), and Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ). The smoke points of the AJF/Jet-A blends were measured in a wick lamp per ASTM D1322 standard, and their Threshold Sooting Indices were derived. Soot volume fraction profiles of the AJF/Jet-A fuel blends were also measured using the laser-induced incandescence diagnostics in the counterflow non-premixed flames. The effects of AJF blending ratio, strain rate, and reactant concentration on the soot formation were examined. The experimental results show that the Threshold Sooting Indices of the AJF/Jet-A blends exhibit a linear relationship with AJF mole fraction. While the maximum soot volume fractions of fuel blends show a fairly linear relationship with AJF blending ratio, the nonlinearity becomes prominent at high strain rates and low reactant concentrations. Comparing the three AJF/Jet-A fuel blends, the sooting tendencies are ranked as ATJ/Jet-A > FT-SPK/Jet-A > HEFA-Camelina/Jet-A. Correlations of the maximum soot volume fraction with aromatics content, hydrogen content, smoke point, and Threshold Sooting Index were all also examined. It is found that neither aromatics content nor hydrogen content can correlate with the maximum soot volume fraction for all the fuel blends at a given condition; conversely, smoke point shows a nonlinear correlation and Threshold Sooting Index shows an approximately linear correlation with the maximum soot volume fraction for all the fuel blends. It is suggested that the different sooting tendencies of AJF/Jet-A blends are mainly caused by the different sooting propensities of individual AJFs, which are strongly dependent on their distinct paraffinic compositions.

Reactivity controlled compression ignition and low temperature combustion of Fischer-Tropsch Fuel Blended with n-butanol

LTC was researched by introducing an 80% mass fraction of n-butanol in reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) mode. A 60% mass fraction of n-butanol was port fuel injected (PFI) and the additional 20% was directly injected through a blend of n-butanol (Bu) with Fischer-Tropsch gas to liquid synthetic paraffinic kerosene (GTL) or ULSD as reference. The blended fuels GTL20-Bu80 and ULSD20-Bu80 have reduced cetane for improved combustion phasing control compared to the reference RCCI mode with direct injection of neat ULSD and n-Butanol PFI (ULSD40-Bu60). RCCI strategies delayed ignition and increased peak heat release rates due to prolonged mixing time and reactivity stratification, inducing faster flame speeds. In RCCI mode, the ringing intensity (RI) increased up to 85% higher than in CDC. NOx and soot were reduced up to 90% with ULSD40-Bu60 compared to CDC. The butanol blends decreased CO by 25% compared to ULSD RCCI. CO levels overlayed each other for GTL20-Bu80 and ULSD20-Bu80 across loads, suggesting that the butanol was the influencing factor. ULSD and ULSD20-Bu80 RCCI increased mechanical efficiencies compared to CDC by 3–4% across loads. ULSD20-Bu80 had the lowest cetane and displayed the greatest improvement in the overall emissions and efficiencies in RCCI compared to CDC.

Toxicity and occupational exposure assessment for Fischer-Tropsch synthetic paraffinic kerosene

ABSTRACTFischer-Tropsch (FT) Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (SPK) jet fuel is a synthetic organic mixture intended to augment petroleum-derived JP-8 jet fuel use by the U.S. armed forces. The FT SPK testing program goal was to develop a comparative toxicity database with petroleum-derived jet fuels that may be used to calculate an occupational exposure limit (OEL). Toxicity investigations included the dermal irritation test (FT vs. JP-8 vs. 50:50 blend), 2 in vitro genotoxicity tests, acute inhalation study, short-term (2-week) inhalation range finder study with measurement of bone marrow micronuclei, 90-day inhalation toxicity, and sensory irritation assay. Dermal irritation was slight to moderate. All genotoxicity studies were negative. An acute inhalation study with F344 rats exposed at 2000 mg/m3 for 4 hr resulted in no abnormal clinical observations. Based on a 2-week range-finder, F344 rats were exposed for 6 hr per day, 5 days per week, for 90 days to an aerosol-vapor mixture of FT SPK jet fuel (0, 200, 700 or 2000 mg/m3). Effects on the nasal cavities were minimal (700 mg/m3) to mild (2000 mg/m3); only high exposure produced multifocal inflammatory cell infiltration in rat lungs (both genders). The RD50 (50% respiratory rate depression) value for the sensory irritation assay, calculated to be 10,939 mg/m3, indicated the FT SPK fuel is less irritating than JP-8. Based upon the proposed use as a 50:50 blend with JP-8, a FT SPK jet fuel OEL is recommended at 200 mg/m3 vapor and 5 mg/m3 aerosol, in concurrence with the current JP-8 OEL.

Impact of Alternative Jet Fuels on Engine Exhaust Composition During the 2015 ECLIF Ground-Based Measurements Campaign.

The application of fuels from renewable sources ("alternative fuels") in aviation is important for the reduction of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, but may also attribute to reduced release of particles from jet engines. The present experiment describes ground-based measurements in the framework of the ECLIF (Emission and Climate Impact of Alternative Fuels) campaign using an Airbus A320 (V2527-A5 engines) burning six fuels of chemically different composition. Two reference Jet A-1 with slightly different chemical parameters were applied and further used in combination with a Fischer-Tropsch synthetic paraffinic kerosene (FT-SPK) to prepare three semi synthetic jet fuels (SSJF) of different aromatic content. In addition, one commercially available fully synthetic jet fuel (FSJF) featured the lowest aromatic content of the fuel selection. Neither the release of nitrogen oxide or carbon monoxide was significantly affected by the different fuel composition. The measured particle emission indices showed a reduction up to 50% (number) and 70% (mass) for two alternative jet fuels (FSJF, SSJF2) at low power settings in comparison to the reference fuels. The reduction is less pronounced at higher operating conditions but the release of particle number and particle mass is still significantly lower for the alternative fuels than for both reference fuels. The observed correlation between emitted particle mass and fuel aromatics is not strict. Here, the H/C ratio is a better indicator for soot emission.

Catalytic conversion of cyanobacteria-derived fatty acids to alkanes for biorenewable synthetic paraffinic kerosene

A two-step catalytic process for converting cyanobacteria-derived fatty acids to linear and branched alkanes for synthetic paraffinic kerosene was demonstrated.

Impact of a Jet A-1/HEFA blend on the performance and emission characteristics of a miniature turbojet engine

It is forecast that in the future, alternative fuels derived from non-petroleum sources will become the basic propellant for turbine aircraft engines. Currently, five types of aviation turbine fuel containing synthesized hydrocarbons are certified and accepted, and allow adding a maximum of 50% of synthetic component to conventional fuel. The experimental performance and the emission characteristics of a turbojet engine were investigated in this paper. The studies were conducted with the use of a miniature turbojet engine, which is the main component of a laboratory test rig. The test rig is an interesting solution for engine research, due to the fact that studies concerning full-scale aircraft engines are very complex and expensive. The literature of the subject contains many papers using small-scale turbojet engines for testing alternative fuels. However, most of them concern components of fuels, e.g. biodiesel, butanol, which do not have direct application in aviation. Two different fuel samples, a conventional Jet A-1 fuel and a blend of 48% synthesized paraffinic kerosene from hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids process with Jet A-1 were tested. This process is one of the routes of producing alternative fuel for aviation, approved by ASTM standard. The test rig studies were performed according to a specific profile of engine test, which models different modes of a turbojet engine’s operation. The obtained results are compared in relation to the results for neat Jet A-1 fuel and then discussed.

An assessment of the potential of alternative fuels for “greening” commercial air transportation

This paper deals with an assessment of the potential of conventional (oil-kerosene) Jet-A1/8 and alternative synthetic & biomass-derived SPK (Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene) and LH2 (Liquid Hydrogen) fuels for “greening” commercial air transportation through reducing its fuel consumption and related direct emissions of GHG (Green House Gases) in the medium- and long-term period of time. For such a purpose, the convenient analytical models for estimating this fuel consumption and corresponding direct emissions of GHG have been developed and applied according to “what-if” scenario approach. The results have shown that: i) Introducing the alternative SPK (F-T&HRJ) fuels fully (i.e., 100% replacement of Jet-A1/8 fuel) would bring only a marginal reduction of the cumulative direct emissions of CO2. Such reduction would not substantially contribute to achieving the globally agreed targets on reducing GHG emissions; and ii) Introducing the alternative LH2 fuel would almost immediately bring rather substantive reduction of the cumulative emissions of CO2. If such introduction started earlier, it would contribute to achieving the globally agreed targets on reducing emissions of GHG during given period.

Soot formation in non-premixed counterflow flames of conventional and alternative jet fuels

With increasing concerns over fuel cost, environmental pollutions, and energy security, the development of alternative fuels from renewable sources has gained considerable attention in the past decade. To evaluate the sooting propensities of representative conventional and alternative jet fuels, the present study has investigated soot formation in non-premixed combustion for three conventional reference jet fuels, i.e., Jet-A, JP-8, and JP-5, and three selected alternative jet fuels, i.e., Fischer-Tropsch Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (FT-SPK), Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids from camelina (HEFA-Camelina), and Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ). The soot volume fraction profiles of these jet fuels in the atmospheric-pressure counterflow non-premixed flame configuration were measured using Laser-Induced Incandescence technique. In addition, the effects of global strain rate and reactant concentration on soot formation were investigated. At the same stoichiometric mixture fraction, the experimental results show that the sooting level increases with increasing fuel and O2 concentrations, while it decreases with increasing global strain rate, as expected. It is also worth noting that the three alternative jet fuels tested demonstrated greater sensitivity to variations in global strain rate and reactant concentration, as compared to the three conventional jet fuels. Based on the measured soot volume fractions, the sooting propensity of the six jet fuels are ranked as follows: JP-5>Jet-A>JP-8>ATJ>FT-SPK>HEFA-Camelina. The observed ranking is consistent with the aromatics content in each jet fuel except when comparing FT-SPK and ATJ. While ATJ has a lower aromatics content than FT-SPK, it contains much heavier hydrocarbon components, thereby leading to higher sooting propensity. Furthermore, the correlations of soot volume fraction with aromatics content and hydrogen content are examined for all six jet fuels. Although such correlations work well for the three conventional jet fuels, the present results suggest that they cannot be directly transferable to the alternative jet fuels, as these alternative fuels are composed of negligible amounts of aromatics, as well as composed of distinct chemical compositions.

Cost calculations for three different approaches of biofuel production using biomass, electricity and CO2

To achieve the emission mitigation and decarbonization goals, future aviation requires alternative sustainable fuels. Synthetic paraffinic kerosene, generated by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, is certified as a drop-in jet fuel up to 50%. Potential fuel production routes are via conversion of biomass (Biomass-to-Liquid, BtL), the combination of renewable power and biomass (Power-and-Biomass-to-Liquid, PBtL) and the conversion of carbon dioxide with hydrogen from renewable power (Power-to-Liquid, PtL). In order to compare the three different production routes, an Aspen Plus® model is designed for each production path and techno-economically assessed for an assumed capacity of 11 Mg h−1 fuel production (equals 90 Gg·a−1 plant capacity). Even though the BtL route allows the lowest net production costs, it has some drawbacks compared to PBtL and PtL. Especially the low H to C ratio of biomass leads to limited fuel yields in the BtL process. These yields can be increased by a factor of about 3 when conducting the PBtL process with the same biomass input instead of BtL. The highest X-to-Liquid efficiency based on power input and energy in feedstock is found for PBtL (51.4%) followed by PtL (50.6%) and BtL (36.3%). For BtL 73% of the introduced carbon is lost as CO2. The total investment costs are highest for BtL, followed by PBtL and PtL. The net production costs are in the reverse order. The cost analysis reveals total PBtL investment costs of 742 M€ and net production costs of around 3 €·kg−1 with an electricity price of 105 €·MWh−1. The costs for electrolyzer and gasifier represent the largest shares of the total capital costs. As the net production costs are dominated for the electricity costs, low electricity prices and high capacities are advantageous for PBtL, while high electricity and low biomass costs favor BtL concept.

Analysis of emission characteristics of gas turbine engines with some alternative fuels

ABSTRACTThe paper concerns the comparative analysis of combustion characteristics of different alternative fuels such as Fischer-Tropsch Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (FT-SPK), cryogenic methane, bioethanol, biomethanol, biobutanol, dimethyl ether, biodiesel and conventional aviation kerosene Jet-A as well as analysis of emissions of NOx, CO, CO2, H2O, HNOy (y = 2,3) and organics for gas turbine engine operating on these fuels. The analysis has shown that the usage of all considered alternative fuels results in the increase of H2O emission, compared to kerosene-fueled combustor, and, as consequence, in the growth of water vapor supersaturation that can increase the rate of the H2O vapor condensation and enhance the formation of contrails and cirrus clouds in the atmosphere. The usage of all considered alternative fuels except FT-SPK, cryogenic methane and dimethyl can increase the CO2 emission compared to using of kerosene. Emission of N-containing species can be reduced upon the usage of considered alternative fuels, except dimethyl ether, for which one can expect the increase in the emissions of HNO2 and HNO3 approximately by 10%. The emission of CO decreases for all fuels except biodiesel. The major decrease can be achieved upon the replacement of kerosene to bioethanol.

Formulation of Sasol Isomerized Paraffinic Kerosene Surrogate Fuel for Diesel Engine Application Using an Ignition Quality Tester

Sasol isomerized paraffinic kerosene (IPK) is a coal-derived synthetic fuel under consideration as a blending stock with jet propellant 8 (JP-8) for use in military equipment. However, Sasol IPK is a low ignition quality fuel with derived cetane number (DCN) of 31. The proper use of such alternative fuels in internal combustion engines (ICEs) requires the modification in control strategies to operate engines efficiently. With computational cycle simulation coupled with surrogate fuel mechanism, the engine development process is proved to be very effective. Therefore, a methodology to formulate Sasol IPK surrogate fuels for diesel engine application using ignition quality tester (IQT) is developed. An in-house developed matlab code is used to formulate the appropriate mixture blends, also known as surrogate fuel. And aspen hysys is used to emulate the distillation curve of the surrogate fuels. The properties of the surrogate fuels are compared to those of the target Sasol IPK fuel. The DCNs of surrogate fuels are measured in the IQT and compared with the target Sasol IPK fuel at the standard condition. Furthermore, the ignition delay, combustion gas pressure, and rate of heat release (RHR) of Sasol IPK and its formulated surrogate fuels are analyzed and compared at five different charge temperatures. In addition, the apparent activation energies derived from chemical ignition delay of the surrogate fuel and Sasol IPK are determined and compared.

Pulse Detonation Assessment for Alternative Fuels

The higher thermodynamic efficiency inherent in a detonation combustion based engine has already led to considerable interest in the development of wave rotor, pulse detonation, and rotating detonation engine configurations as alternative technologies offering improved performance for the next generation of aerospace propulsion systems, but it is now important to consider their emissions also. To assess both performance and emissions, this paper focuses on the feasibility of using alternative fuels in detonation combustion. Thus, the standard aviation fuels Jet-A, Acetylene, Jatropha Bio-synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene, Camelina Bio-synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene, Algal Biofuel, and Microalgae Biofuel are all asessed under detonation combustion conditions. An analytical model accounting for the Rankine-Hugoniot Equation, Rayleigh Line Equation, and Zel’dovich–von Neumann–Doering model, and taking into account single step chemistry and thermophysical properties for a stoichiometric mixture, is applied to a simple detonation tube test case configuration. The computed pressure rise and detonation velocity are shown to be in good agreement with published literature. Additional computations examine the effects of initial pressure, temperature, and mass flux on the physical properties of the flow. The results indicate that alternative fuels require higher initial mass flux and temperature to detonate. The benefits of alternative fuels appear significant.

Derived Cetane Number, Distillation and Ignition Delay Properties of Diesel and Jet Fuels Containing Blended Synthetic Paraffinic Mixtures

Aviation turbine fuel and diesel fuel were blended with synthetic paraffins produced via two pathways and the combustion properties measured. Both aviation and diesel fuel containing synthetics produced from the fermentation of sugars, had a linear response to blending with decreasing ignition delay times from 5.05 - 3.52 ms for F-34 and 3.84 - 3.52 ms for F-76. For the same fuels blended with synthetics produced from the fermentation of alcohols, ignition delay times were increased out to 18.66 ms. The derived cetane number of the blends followed an inversely similar trend. Additionally, simulated distillation using ASTM D2887 at high synthetic paraffinic kerosene blend ratios resulted in the recovery temperatures being incorrectly reported. In this case, higher recovery volumes were at lower temperatures than earlier recovery points i.e. T90< T50, for SIP-SPK.

Comparative study of alternative biofuels on aircraft engine performance

Aviation industries are vulnerable to the energy crisis and simultaneously posed environmental concerns. Proposed engine technology advancements could reduce the environmental impact and energy consumption. Substituting the source of jet fuel from fossil-based fuel to biomass-based fuel will help reduce emissions and minimize the energy crisis. The present paper addresses the analysis of aircraft engine performance in terms of thrust, fuel flow and specific fuel consumption at different mixing ratio percentages (20%, 40%, 50%, 60% and 80%) of alternative biofuel blends already used in flight test (Algae biofuel, Camelina biofuel and Jatropha biofuel) at different flight conditions. In-house computer software codes, PYTHIA and TURBOMATCH, were used for the analysis and modeling of a three-shaft high-bypass-ratio engine which is similar to RB211-524. The engine model was verified and validated with open literature found in the test program of bio-synthetic paraffinic kerosene in commercial aircraft. The results indicated that lower heating value had a significant influence on thrust, fuel flow and specific fuel consumption at every flight condition and at all mixing ratio percentages. Wide lower heating value differences between two fuels give a large variation on the engine performances. Blended Kerosene–Jatropha biofuel and Kerosene–Camelina biofuel showed an improvement on gross thrust, net thrust, reduction of fuel flow and specific fuel consumption at every mixing ratio percentage and at different flight conditions. Moreover, the pure alternative of Jatropha biofuel and Camelina biofuel gave much better engine performances. This was not the case for the Kerosene–Algae blended biofuel. This study is a crucial step in understanding the influence of different blended alternative biofuels on the performance of aircraft engines.

Evaluating NOx and CO emissions of bio-SPK fuel using a simplified engine combustion model: A preliminary study towards sustainable environment

Awareness of environmental and economic issues associated with fossil fuel has led to the exploration of alternative fuels for aviation. Analysis and measurements of alternative fuel using real aircraft engines are complex and costly. Thus, evaluation only through computation is an option at present. This paper presents an analysis of aircraft engine emissions, particularly NOx and CO, from the blend of bio-synthetic paraffinic kerosene (bio-SPK) fuel with kerosene using a simplified gas emission model. Three different fuels, namely, a conventional aviation fuel Jet-A, Jatropha bio-SPK and Camelina bio-SPK were tested as pure and as blends with Jet-A. Chemical properties of the tested fuels were introduced into HEPHAESTUS, an in-house gas emission software developed in Cranfield University. HEPHAESTUS was developed based on the physics-based approach by incorporating a number of stirred reactors to predict NOx, CO, UHC and soot. Gaseous emissions generated from kerosene were observed to follow the trends provided by the ICAO databank. The capability of HEPHAESTUS in predicting the NOx and CO level from biofuel is yet to be explored. The level of NOx and CO predicted in this study followed the trends shown in the literature, although they quantitatively differed. Compared to Jet-A, NOx decreased and CO increased as the percentage of Jatropha bio-SPK and Camelina bio-SPK in the mixture increased. NOx reduction was consistent with the reduction in flame temperature because NOx generation considered in the model was dominantly based on thermal NOx. In contrast, increases in CO were due to low flame temperature that led to incomplete combustion. The consistency of the results obtained showed that the computational work performed in this study as an initial step toward the prediction of emission level of biofuels was successful. However, further studies on the experimental work or computational fluid dynamic simulation is essential.