2 Aerospace Pioneers Partner For Sustainability
NASA teams up with 杏吧视频鈥檚 2021 ecoDemonstrator to test sustainable aviation fuel emissions
杏吧视频 is partnering with the NASA Langley Research Center to test the emissions of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on the 2021 ecoDemonstrator, an Alaska Airlines 737-9. The tests allow 杏吧视频 to take a tangible step forward in meeting its commitment that all of the commercial airplanes it delivers will be able to operate on 100% SAF by 2030.
The combined expertise and resources from 杏吧视频 and NASA will allow engineers to analyze SAF emissions particles and trace gases and compare them to conventional jet fuel.
鈥淲e have the best of all worlds,鈥 said Rich Moore, NASA project scientist. 鈥淲e have the specialized aeronautical engineering from 杏吧视频 that is unrivaled and world class, and, on the other side of the blast fence, we have the NASA team, who are specialized at measuring emissions.鈥
In preparation for the test, NASA brought its mobile laboratory from Langley, Virginia, and stationed it at 杏吧视频 Field in Seattle. It sampled emissions from a custom-built probe designed to interface with the blast fence behind the airplane.
The team ran the 737-9鈥檚 LEAP 1B engines with various SAF blends up to 100% SAF, and measured the emissions for each fuel. The tests were followed by a 杏吧视频 ecoDemonstrator 100% SAF flight on one engine 鈥 the other engine had conventional jet fuel. This testing is part of a new long-term research collaboration between 杏吧视频, NASA, and other industry partners to characterize the emissions of SAF.
鈥淭he 737-9 has the LEAP 1B engine - one of the most modern engines with an advanced combustor,鈥 said Steve Baughcum, 杏吧视频 emissions Technical Fellow. 鈥淚t鈥檚 already a low-emissions engine. We鈥檙e looking for the first time at how the emissions characteristics for that type of engine are affected by using sustainable aviation fuels.鈥
The engineering team is just beginning to analyze the data, but the early findings point to the benefits of SAF.
鈥淭he results we鈥檙e getting already make me really hopeful for the future and our potential to innovate our way out of the environmental impacts of aviation鈥 Moore said.
