Soaring Above Conventional Fuel: Discovering the Types of Jet Fuels and Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Aircraft Fuel: Varieties and Features: An Overview
You might think that a car's gasoline engine is the standard for fuel-powered vehicles, but airplanes have a different story. With their robust engines, airplanes demand a fuel that meets specific requirements.
Jet's Juice: Understanding Jet Fuel
Jet fuel, the fuel of choice for aircraft with turbine engines, powers the majority of commercial and military aircraft. This versatile fuel variety is known as Jet A-1 or kerosene due to its impressive efficiency. Not only does it offer high power output, but it also serves as a coolant for engine oil.
Jet-B, a cousin of Jet A-1, is another common choice for airplane fuel. While it provides better performance in cold climates, its hazardous ignition properties make it a bit trickier to handle.
AVGAS: Friendlier for Piston Engines
On the other hand, for piston-engine aircraft, the go-to fuel is AVGAS, or aviation gasoline. AVGAS 100 LL is the most popular within this category, known for its high efficiency and focus on the safety of these often single-engine aircraft.
Octane Number: A Fuel's Antidote to Knocking
The octane number, a fuel's assigned anti-knock power, sheds light on how resistant the fuel is to detonation. The higher the octane number, the better its resistance to detonation, minimizing engine damage and power loss.
Taking Flight with Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Looking toward a greener future, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) have taken center stage in the efforts to reduce aviation's carbon footprint. SAF is a type of renewable fuel designed to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and promote a cleaner environment for air travel.
There are several types of SAF, each produced using different feedstocks and conversion processes.
- HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids): Utilizing vegetable oils, animal fats, or used cooking oil, the HEFA process converts these materials into fuel similar to conventional jet fuel. HEFA is currently the most commercially mature SAF technology.
- Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ): derived from ethanol sourced from corn, sugarcane, or waste biomass, AtJ is produced through the oligomerization process. As AtJ is still emerging at a commercial scale, further refinement is needed.
- Power-to-Liquid (PtL) or eFuels: By synthesizing CO₂ with green hydrogen, PtL creates liquid hydrocarbons that have the potential to power fully circular, fossil-free aviation in the future.
To reduce carbon emissions even further, SAF made from waste-based or low-value feedstocks is preferable due to minimizing land-use changes and carbon intensity.
So, as the skies continue to soar, it's essential to consider the future of fuel. Innovative solutions like sustainable aviation fuels hold the key to a more environmentally friendly and sustainable aviation industry.
Science plays a crucial role in the development of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote a cleaner environment in air travel. SAF, such as HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids), Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ), and Power-to-Liquid (PtL) or eFuels, each produced using different feedstocks and conversion processes, are integral to the advancement of environmental-science and technology in the aviation sector.
