With the growing alarm and awareness of depleting fossil fuels and concerns regarding the environment, the market for alternative fuels for the aviation industry is expected to grow significantly
INARGUABLY, AN AIRCRAFT’S MOST crucial constituent is its power plant. Since the first heavier-than-air flight by the Wright brothers, power plant technology has evolved dramatically and, in recent years, the pace of advancement has been accelerating. The materials used and the design progression have ensured that each successive model is an improvement in terms of thrust produced. However, one area in which original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of power plants have not been able to make significant advancements is the fuel used. Fossil fuel remains the main source of energy for power plants although in recent years, there have been notable intent and endeavour towards replacement of the fossil fuel. Two motivations appear to have been the impellors in this direction: firstly the realisation that fossil fuels are irreplaceable and finite and need to be substituted by alternative fuels and secondly, the stimulus of reducing the environmental effects of fuel combustion and the resultant pollutants discharged into an already sullied atmosphere. Bio-fuels are the alternative fuels that the aviation world is looking at expectantly, but, while there is adequate advancement in bio-fuel technologies to nurture hope of bio-fuels edging out fossil fuels in the future, even the most optimistic view does not envisage the change to occur in the immediate future.
This article looks at bio-fuel technologies to assess whether and when it could occur.
THE BASICS. Aviation industry’s commitment to reducing Greenhouse Gas (CHG) emissions along with the burden of increasing oil prices, is forcing it to look for sources of renewable and affordable energy. Aviation is a type of transportation for which traditional bio-fuels such as bio-ethanol and bio-diesel, do not fulfil the specific requirements. Hence the need to refine biofuel research and fine tune it to aviation requirements.
This story is from the February-March 2018 edition of SP's Airbuz.
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This story is from the February-March 2018 edition of SP's Airbuz.
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