Comparative study of alternative biofuels on aircraft engine performance

Abstract

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.

Comparison of aircraft engine performance and emission analysis using alternative fuels

“…NASA Chemical Equilibrium Analysis (CEA) is applied for the evaluation of thermochemical fuel properties such as the correlation of enthalpy, flame temperature, specific heat and molecular formula to the function of temperature. These correlations are stored in the TURBOMATCH library data: Source: Azami and Savill, 2016 Results obtained from PYTHIA in the combustor inlet conditions are used in HEPHAESTUS. The model engine configurations are specified in PYTHIA and illustrated in Figure 3.…”

“…This is essential to evaluate fit-for-purpose fuel for real engines at various operating points. As the prediction of NOX and CO emission is complex and has become an active research area, this paper brings together the performance and emission analysis and makes a systematic study of its practicability in aircraft engine which has not been addressed in Azami and Savill (2016). Therefore, this paper serves as an extension of the previous works by accommodating both performance and emission analysis in our in-house software.…”

A Physics-Based Multidisciplinary Approach for the Preliminary Design and Performance Analysis of a Medium Range Aircraft with Box-Wing Architecture

“…Meeting the growing demand for flights and reducing the environmental impact of air transportation seem to be contrasting objectives of aviation research and industry; a possible way to face this problem is to explore and study disruptive technologies, both in the field of propulsion and aircraft design. Regarding propulsion, several studies are dedicated to the analysis and design of new types of engines, alternative to the conventional internal combustion one, such as hybrid and electrical powertrains [12][13][14][15][16][17]; also, alternative energy sources to fossil fuels, such as hydrogen [18][19][20][21] or biofuels [22][23][24], are currently under study. Regarding aircraft development, studies have been conducted on the optimisation of the tube-andwing aircraft to reach the maximum potential of the conventional configuration [25][26][27][28], but great effort is currently dedicated to the study and development of new unconventional architectures [29][30][31][32][33][34], such as the blended wing-body configuration [35][36][37] or the joined wings architecture [38,39], which may represent a real breakthrough in aircraft evolution.…”

Computational Simulation of PT6A Gas Turbine Engine Operating with Different Blends of Biodiesel—A Transient-Response Analysis

“…The thermal performance prediction of gas turbine engines operating with biodiesel has barely been reported in References [25,26] using these computational techniques. The opposite is true for reciprocating engines operating with biodiesel blends, for which performances and emissions predictions have been extensively carried out.…”