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It sounds so green, biofuel, doen'it? Fuel from plants. Unfortunately it is not necessarily very green. If we would replace the current classic hydrocarburants with biofuel we'd have to cut more than all the current tropical rainforest to be able to produce it, and apart from that, it continues to produce CO2 which, with less forrest, will be compensated less by nature itself...
Yes, this was sustainably produced biofuel. No forrest cut. But the fact that they had to find the seeds in four different countries to spin one engine alone says enough...
It is of course interesting to know, that we can fly planes on biofuel, with the classic fuels becoming sparse in the future...
Still, such initiatives are encouraging. Without such initiatives there is no progress. Considering this a test, we could trust that they manage to develop this technique in a green direction to spin all aircraft engines...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zembla
It sounds so green, biofuel, doen'it? Fuel from plants. Unfortunately it is not necessarily very green. If we would replace the current classic hydrocarburants with biofuel we'd have to cut more than all the current tropical rainforest to be able to produce it, and apart from that, it continues to produce CO2 which, with less forrest, will be compensated less by nature itself...
Yes, this was sustainably produced biofuel. No forrest cut. But the fact that they had to find the seeds in four different countries to spin one engine alone says enough...
It is of course interesting to know, that we can fly planes on biofuel, with the classic fuels becoming sparse in the future...
Still, such initiatives are encouraging. Without such initiatives there is no progress. Considering this a test, we could trust that they manage to develop this technique in a green direction to spin all aircraft engines...
As mentioned in the article, the NZ biofuel was produced from jatropha, a tree producing a non edible fruit which has a high content of oil used to provide the feed stock to produce the biofuel. It has the additional plus of being grown on marginal or arid soils, and does not compete with traditional food crops for land. Although it has not been quantified yet, for purposes of any emission trading system, its use would generate a credit and therefore impact on the economics. Current projections would say that biofuel will only replace a relatively small proportion of current fossil fuel use, but nevertheless will have some impact.
The economics have become marginal with the current oil price, and my company is having a look at environmentally benign technologies which should increase both the yield of fruit and also the oil content of the fruit, and have a marked impact on the economics of biofuels based on jatropha.
As mentioned in the AOL article, there are ambitious plans for jatropha plantations in India, and there are also plans for planting hundreds of thousands of hectares of jatropha throughout South East Asia, but quite apart from organisations like Greenpeace, there is still some skepticism about the viability of the industry.
Jatropha is banned in Australia, but would be suitable for planting in selected areas in the North, and there is currently lobbying going on to allow its cultivation.
NZ is one of a number of airlines that have joined with Boeing and the engine manufacturers to trial biofuels, but is the first to have actually carried out an inflight test with a jatropha based jet fuel.
The big corporates have obviously given a large amount of thought to producing a program which is very green indeed as outlined in the first article. In terms of PR, the current cost is a drop in the bucket for them, but in the longer term the viability will be determined by technical and economic drivers.
The technical issues are fundamental - anyone following the two recent examples of the unexplained spooling down of RR engines on Boeing 777 aircraft and particularly the BA crash at LHR, where one possible cause is thought to be freezing of the jet fuel, will appreciate their importance
Hope this helps to give everyone some further background in understanding the implications of the trial program.
And full marks to NZ for being one of the leaders.
Last edited by WellingtonFF; Dec 31, 08 at 7:20 pm.
As mentioned in the article, the NZ biofuel was produced from jatropha, a tree producing a non edible fruit which has a high content of oil used to provide the feed stock to produce the biofuel. It has the additional plus of being grown on marginal or arid soils, and does not compete with traditional food crops for land.
It is interesting that NZ, New Zealand's national carrier with the government (and therefore New Zealanders) as a significant shareholder, has chosen jatropha in preference to one of several technologies available locally. For example, biofuel from salix (a willow) has a similarly good yield, grows on marginal land and does not compete with food crops - but is a local invention/discovery.
It would appear that a country which promotes its innovation capability worldwide and espouses "buy local", cannot convince its own airline to choose its wares. Hmmmm........
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kangela
It is interesting that NZ, New Zealand's national carrier with the government (and therefore New Zealanders) as a significant shareholder, has chosen jatropha in preference to one of several technologies available locally. For example, biofuel from salix (a willow) has a similarly good yield, grows on marginal land and does not compete with food crops - but is a local invention/discovery.
It would appear that a country which promotes its innovation capability worldwide and espouses "buy local", cannot convince its own airline to choose its wares. Hmmmm........
We are about to have a look at salix to see what the economic comparisons might be and whether our technology might be applicable
Of course the entire issue around land management sustainability goes away if future sources of biofuels are from the ocean. Water management issues would be introduced as a result, but there sure is a whole lot more unsued ocean-space out there ...
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Following is NZ's press release following the test the flight
Quote:
Air New Zealand Test Flight Proves Viability of Jatropha Biofuel
The world's first commercial aviation test flight powered by the sustainable second-generation biofuel jatropha has been successfully completed in Auckland.
More than a dozen key performance tests were undertaken in the two hour test flight which took-off at 11:30am (NZ time) from Auckland International Airport.
A biofuel blend of 50:50 jatropha and Jet A1 fuel was used to power one of the Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400's Rolls-Royce RB211 engines.
At 1.30pm, Pilot in Command Captain Keith Pattie and Air New Zealand Chief Pilot Captain David Morgan stepped off the aircraft back at Auckland International Airport and informed invited guests about the outcomes of the flight.
“We undertook a range of tests on the ground and inflight with the jatropha biofuel performing well through both the fuel system and engine, just as laboratory tests proved it would,” said Mr Morgan.
“To complete our testing programme our engineers will over the next few days be thoroughly assessing the engine and fuel systems looking for any changes as a result of the use of biofuel.
“Together with our partners on this project we will then review all the results as part of our drive to have jatropha certified as an aviation fuel.”
The test flight is a joint initiative between Air New Zealand, Boeing, Rolls-Royce and Honeywell’s UOP, with support from Terasol Energy.
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe says the completion of the flight is a significant milestone and something every New Zealander should be proud of.
“It is Air New Zealand’s long-term goal to become the world’s most environmentally sustainable airline and we have today made further significant progress towards this,” says Mr Fyfe.
“Air New Zealanders are passionate about making a difference to the environment and as a result we have become a world leader in examining every aspect of our flight operations to reduce fuel consumption and our carbon emissions.”
“We stand at the earliest stages of sustainable fuel development and it is exciting to be a part of this important moment in aviation history.”
Captain Keith Pattie and his crew operated the test flight to the north-east of Auckland over the wider Hauraki Gulf area.
Tests were completed at various altitudes and under a variety of operating conditions to measure the biofuel’s performance through the No.1 engine and fuel system.
The tests of the No.1 engine were as follows:
Flight stage
Check
Take off
Full powered take off as per normal operating conditions
Climb
Climb to 25,000ft. Through 20-25,000ft switch off No.1 engine fuel pump to check fuel lubricity
Cruise
At 35,000ft manually set all engine controls to check Engine Pressure Ratios (EPR) and other engine performance parameters
Deceleration/acceleration
Measure rate of engine thrust changes
Descent
Windmill start at 26,000ft / 300knots and starter-assisted relight at 18,000ft / 200knots
Missed Approach
Simulated approach and go-around at 8,000ft to test performance under maximum thrust
Landing
Normal landing including full reverse thrust on touch down
Taxi
Shut down and restart engine on ground
The jatropha oil Air New Zealand sourced and refined for its test flight came from South Eastern Africa (Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania) and India. It was sourced from seeds grown on environmentally sustainable farms.
Jatropha is a plant that grows to approximately three metres high and produces seeds that contain inedible lipid oil that is used to produce fuel. Each seed produces between 30 and 40 percent of its mass in oil and jatropha can be grown in a range of difficult conditions, including arid and otherwise non-arable areas, leaving prime areas available for food crops.
The partners have been non-negotiable about the three criteria any environmentally sustainable fuel must meet for the test flight programme. These are social, technical and commercial.
Firstly, the fuel source must be environmentally sustainable and not compete with existing food resources. Secondly, the fuel must be a drop-in replacement for traditional jet fuel and technically be at least as good as the product used today. Finally, it should be cost competitive with existing fuel supplies and be readily available.
The criteria for sourcing the jatropha oil required that the land was neither forest land nor virgin grassland within the previous two decades. The quality of the soil and climate is such that the land is not suitable for the vast majority of food crops. Furthermore, the farms are rain-fed and not mechanically irrigated.
The test flight partners engaged Terasol Energy, a leader in sustainable jatropha development projects, to independently source and certify that the jatropha-based fuel for the flight met all sustainability criteria.
Once received from Terasol Energy, the jatropha oil was refined through a collaborative effort between Air New Zealand, Boeing and leading refining technology developer UOP, utilising UOP technology to produce jet fuel from renewable sources that can serve as a direct replacement to traditional petroleum-based fuel.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davidrnz
Following is NZ's press release following the test the flight
For those interested, it is well worth while following the links to the videos and other material. It is very, very well done, and IMHO a real PR and technical coup for NZ.
