The biomass-derived fuel used for this event is referred to as hydrotreated renewable jet, or HRJ, and is part of a class of fuels derived from either plant oil or animal fat feedstocks. The feedstock source of the biomass powering the A-10 demonstration is camelina oil, a flowering plant in the same family as mustard, cabbage and broccoli, but not used as a food-source.
Biomass-derived fuels offer the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While additional testing will be conducted to explore the full extent of their benefits, test data show that particulate emissions are reduced during combustion of biomass-derived fuels.
This event marks the next phase in the Air Force's alternative aviation fuel program and represents a milestone in worldwide development of alternative aviation fuels, paving the way for future Air Force HRJ certification flight tests of the F-15 Eagle, F-22 Raptor and C-17 Globemaster III to begin this summer.
The A-10 demonstration flight supports the Air Force's 2010 Energy Plan goal to be prepared to cost-competitively acquire 50% of domestic aviation fuel from an alternative fuel blend by 2016.
"The Air Force recognizes its role as a leader in energy management," said Mr. Terry Yonkers, assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics. "This demonstration underscores our commitment to advancing technologies that increase our use of renewable energy and reduce our consumption of imported foreign oil."
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Related news media reports:
Biofuel used in Air Force aircraft test
Published: March 25, 2010 at 1:21 PM
UPI
VALPARAISO, Fla., March 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force said a biomass-derived jet fuel blend was used to fuel the flight of an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft in Florida Thursday.
Air Force Maj. Michelle Coghill confirmed both of the military aircraft's engines used the biofuel for Thursday morning's flight at Eglin Air Force Base near Valparaiso, Fla., the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News reported.
The Air Force said the flight represented the first time all of a military or civilian airplane's engines were fueled by a biofuels blend.
The test flight represents part of an ongoing Air Force effort to develop and test biofuels. The Daily News said officials from both the Air Force Research Laboratory and Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base oversaw the test flight.
Unlike conventional jet fuel, biofuels burn cleaner without compounds like sulfur. Yet without such ingredients, biofuels are less stable and provide limited engine lubricating capabilities.
University of Dayton Research Institute official Dilip Ballal, whose Ohio institute is working on fuels and combustion research, said a suitable solution was a blend of biofuels with conventional JP-8 jet fuel.
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Biofuels test flight was a promising demonstration, Air Force says
By John Nolan, Staff Writer
Updated 4:34 PM Thursday, March 25, 2010
Dayton Daily News
The Air Force flew an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, operating solely on a biomass-derived jet fuel blend Thursday, March 25, in a major step toward the service's goal of diversifying its sources for aviation fuel.
Officials from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base who are overseeing the biofuels research were on hand at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for the nearly 90-minute test flight, the first of a series planned. The University of Dayton Research Institute helped develop and test the fuel which was derived in part from camelina, a common plant grown since ancient times for its oil that has been used for lamp fuel and ointments.
The airplane performed normally on the 50-50 blend of the camelina-based fuel and conventional JP-8 jet fuel, said Maj. Chris Seager, a test pilot with the 40th Flight Test Squadron based at Eglin.
"I couldn' tell the difference between that and the JP-8 we use every day," Seager said in a conference telephone call afterward with reporters. "It was very predictable, it was uneventful."
The Air Force's goal is to certify all of its planes to be able to use the 50-50 blend by 2012, and to be able to obtain enough of the fuel to use it systemwide by 2016, said Jeff Braun, who is overseeing the effort for the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson.
Plant or animal oils or wood waste could be a source for the alternative fuels, said Tim Edwards, an Air Force Research Laboratory scientist involved in the project.
Air Force officials said they are working with commercial airlines which have flown some flights using biofuels in an engine. But it could be years before the fuel's demonstrated reliability and availability can support commercial aviation's massive demand for fuel, industry analysts said.
"There are reasons to be optimistic for new fuels that are eight to 10 years away, particularly algae-based ones. Experiments like these help the industry on its long road there," said Richard Aboulafia, a defense industry analyst with Teal Group Corp. in Fairfax, Va.
UDRI's work for the Air Force includes experimentation with algae, which produce oil that can be an energy source.
The Air Force said the morning flight at Eglin Air Force Base marked the first time that either a military or civilian airplane was flown using a biofuels blend in all engines, rather than just one engine. Both of the A-10's engines were using the biofuels blend, Air Force Maj. Michelle Coghill said.
Biofuels burn more cleanly without the sulfur and other compounds present in conventional jet fuel, but the absence of those ingredients can reduce the biofuel's engine lubricating capabilities and its stability in storage, said Dilip Ballal, UDRI's division head for energy and environmental engineering.
By blending biofuel with conventional JP-8 jet fuel, researchers were able to develop a mix suitable for flying the A-10 aircraft, Ballal said.
The Air Force's long-term goals are to reduce engine emissions of air pollutants and cut the service's dependence on foreign sources of oil by developing suitable alternative fuels.
"While additional testing will be conducted to explore the full extent of their benefits, test data show that particulate emissions are reduced during combustion of biomass-derived fuels," the Air Force said.
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Related other info:
Warthog to be First Jet to Test Biomass Jet Fuel
Posted by John Davis – March 25th, 2010
Domestic Fuel
It's officially called the A-10 Thunderbolt II, but to the men and women who wear the blue of the U.S. Air Force, it is affectionately called the Warthog … and it's real beauty will come in its upcoming test of biomass-based jet fuel.
Air Force News Service says a test pilot will attempt to fly an A-10 on a blend of biomass-derived and conventional JP-8 jet fuel, the first flight of an aircraft powered solely on a biomass-derived jet fuel blend:
The biomass-derived fuel used for this event is referred to as hydrotreated renewable jet, or HRJ, and is part of a class of fuels derived from either plant oil or animal fat feedstocks. The feedstock source of the biomass powering the A-10 demonstration is camelina oil, a flowering plant in the same family as mustard, cabbage and broccoli, but not used as a food-source.
Biomass-derived fuels offer the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While additional testing will be conducted to explore the full extent of their benefits, test data show that particulate emissions are reduced during combustion of biomass-derived fuels.
This event marks the next phase in the Air Force's alternative aviation fuel program and represents a milestone in worldwide development of alternative aviation fuels, paving the way for future Air Force HRJ certification flight tests of the F-15 Eagle, F-22 Raptor and C-17 Globemaster III to begin this summer.
This flight is part of the Air Force's goal to get half of its domestic aviation fuel from an alternative fuel blend by 2016.
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