Moving Forward on the Environment

ATW’sThird Annual Eco-Aviation Conference, held in Washington June 23-25, drew some 100 attendees to discuss, share and evaluate industry progress toward a cleaner future. The appropriateness of this year’s theme, “Moving Forward,” was confirmed when Federal Aviation Administrator Randy Babbitt used the occasion to announce $125 million in FAA funding to five companies to “develop and demonstrate technologies that will reduce commercial jet fuel consumption, emissions and noise.”

Babbitt, who delivered the keynote luncheon address, acknowledged that commercial aviation has made “phenomenal progress” over the last decade in becoming more environmentally efficient but said the industry must do more to address “a national crisis with our environment that extends well beyond aviation . . . The FAA is going to push as hard as humanly possible to improve aviation’s environmental efficiency.”

The five-year contracts are part of the agency’s Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise program, or CLEEN. The companies—Boeing, GE Aviation, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce North America—each will match the agency’s investment dollar-for-dollar, bringing the total investment in green technology to $250 million.

Babbitt said technology developed through CLEEN “could be introduced into the commercial aircraft fleet beginning in 2015.” The goals of these efforts include: A reduction in fuel burn by 33%, a reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions by 60% and a reduction in cumulative aircraft noise levels by 32 decibels. “As early as 2015, you and I could be flying on quieter, cleaner, more efficient aircraft that are operating on alternative fuel,” he said.

The need for more efficient aircraft was emphasized by Southwest Airlines Executive VP and COO Michael Van de Ven, who called upon manufacturers to build a new narrowbody because today’s 737NGs and A320s are unable to deliver the “step change” in efficiency that the airline industry needs. Presenting the morning opening address, Van de Ven said, “The time has come to develop a replacement to the workhorse narrowbodies.”

Southwest also is moving forward on the next phase of its $175 million investment in reconfiguring its aircraft for Required Navigation Performance at every airport it serves, which was announced at the first Eco-Aviation Conference in June 2008 (ATW, 8/08, p. 57). Assistant Director of Operations Jeff Martin told attendees that the airline has “completed the activation of autothrottle technology in all 340 of our 737-700 aircraft and flew our first RNP demo flight, both significant milestones in implementing our program.” It has modified its speed schedule and is flying at optimum speed and altitude, contributing to approximately 4.8 million gal. in fuel savings of the 8.5 million gal. saved by the LCC last year.

In preparation for FAA’s NextGen ATM system, SWA over the last two years has modified more than 444 aircraft with GPS and RNP software and completed 30,000 pilot training events. It has flown 9,000 GPS approaches since April 6. “The payoff is already $1 million in fuel savings each month with the new automation,” Martin said. “With RNP, for every three nm. we save one minute of flight time, 10 gallons of fuel, eliminate 200 pounds of carbon dioxide and eliminate 0.75 pound of NOX.”

 The airline anticipates a 100% return on investment in fewer than 10 years as long as FAA implements NextGen in a timely manner. “With RNP/NextGen procedures designed at 13 of our airports, we project a savings of $16 million a year once we begin flying RNP in January 2011,” he said.

United Airlines MD-Technology and Flight Test Joe Burns said 85% of that carrier’s fleet is configured for RNAV and it is starting a “very significant push to implement RNAV at every hub.” He said a savings of 3 min. per flight translates into $30-$40 million in annual fuel savings and results are “repeatable and predictable.”

He also provided insight into UA’s recent demonstration flight using a 60/40 blend of conventional Jet A and synthetic natural gas-derived jet fuel supplied by Rentech to power one engine on an A320. Results of the April 30 flight show that the engine using the blended fuel could run 10 deg. hotter and achieve a 2% performance increase over the conventionally powered engine.

But financing production of sufficient quantities of alternative fuels and biofuels to power airline operations on any significant scale remains a formidable obstacle, experts pointed out. “Our view is that drop-in aviation biofuels are here and ready today,” Honeywell UOP VP and GM-Renewable Energy and Chemicals James Rekoske said. “Technologically we have a path.” But the remaining “hurdles” are “broader availability of feedstock and mitigating financial risk.”

Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative Executive Director Richard Altman added, “Quite frankly, the private financial institutions don’t want to take the risk [of investing in biofuel production]. It’s just that simple.” American Airlines Director-Fuel Management John Rau commented, “What’s really needed is long-term credit for [biofuel] suppliers. So there may be some help needed from the government.”

Despite the financial uncertainty, airlines cannot afford not to pursue biofuels, Rau stressed. Both crude oil prices and the “crack spread” between base crude and jet fuel are “very volatile,” leaving carriers vulnerable to dramatic market swings that complicate long-term planning and general stability.

As part of an effort to be proactive, 15 carriers have signed MOUs with AltAir Fuels, Rentech or both expressing a nonbinding commitment to support future biofuel supply. AltAir said it has agreed with 14 of the airlines to “negotiate the purchase of up to 750 million gallons of renewable jet fuel and diesel derived from camelina.”

AltAir Principal Bryan Sherbacow commented that biofuel is in somewhat of a “chicken-and-egg” stage whereby the “fuel needs to be available in order to certify it” and prove its viability but demand from end users such as airlines needs to be apparent to drive financing to produce it.

Christopher Grundler, deputy director-Office of Transportation and Air Quality, US Environmental Protection Agency, noted that aviation contributes 11% of US mobile-source greenhouse gas emissions while automobiles represent 60% and freight 20%. EPA has issued an “endangerment finding” that GHGs are harmful to health and is preparing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to regulate CO2 emissions (ATW, 6/10, p. 36). He said that “collaboration [between industry and government] is key” and that EPA is “very flexible” and looking to “create innovative solutions.” He added that EPA sees a lot of promise for biofuels, but that it “needs to be done right.”

Click here for conference proceedings.