Lowest emission sustainable aviation biofuels as the potential replacement for the Jet-A fuels

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to predict the performance and emission characteristics of micro gas turbine engines powered by alternate fuels. The micro gas turbine engine performance, combustion and emission characteristics are analyzed for the jet fuel with different additives.

Design/methodology/approach

The experimental investigation was carried out with Jet A-1 fuel on the gas turbine engines at different load conditions. The primary blends of the Jet A-1 fuels are from canola and solid waste pyrolysis oil. Then the ultrasonication of highly concentrated multiwall carbon nanotubes is carried with the primary blends of canola (Jet-A fuel 70%, canola 20% and 10% ethanol) and P20E (Jet-A 70% fuel, 20% PO and 10% ethanol).

Findings

The consumption of the fuel is appreciable with the blends at a very high static thrust. The 39% reduction in thrust specific fuel consumption associated with a 32% enhance in static thrust with P20E blend among different fuel blends. Moreover, due to the increase in ethanol concentration in the blends PO20E and C20E lead to a 22% rise in thermal efficiency and a 9% increase in higher oxygen content is observed.

Practical implications

The gas turbine engine emits very low emission of gases such as CO, CO₂ and NOx by using the fuel blends, which typically reduces the fossil fuel usage limits with reduced pollutants.

Originality/value

The emission of the gas turbine engines is further optimized with the addition of hydrogen in Jet-A fuel. That is leading to high specific fuel exergy and owing to the lower carbon content in the hydrogen fuel when compared with that of the fossil fuels used in gas turbine engines. Therefore, the usage of hydrogen with nanofluids was so promising based on the results obtained for replacing fossil fuels.

Citation

A., A., A., K., C., R.K., S., R. and T.R., P. (2021), "Lowest emission sustainable aviation biofuels as the potential replacement for the Jet-A fuels", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 93 No. 3, pp. 502-507. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEAT-07-2020-0135