Research

14 pages, 948 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Decarbonization Paths for the Dutch Aviation Sector

by Igor Davydenko and Hans Hilbers

Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 950; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16030950 - 23 Jan 2024

Viewed by 964

To reduce aviation’s climatic impact, there are international, regional and national policies in place and under development. The most firm policy measure to reduce net CO₂ emissions from aviation is ReFuelEU Aviation, requiring 70% of fuel tanked in the EU to be [...] Read more.

To reduce aviation’s climatic impact, there are international, regional and national policies in place and under development. The most firm policy measure to reduce net CO₂ emissions from aviation is ReFuelEU Aviation, requiring 70% of fuel tanked in the EU to be net CO₂-free in 2050. Considering the technological options available, expected improvements in airline operational efficiency and aircraft efficiency, as well as considering behavioral factors that influence aviation travel demand, a path for the complete decarbonization of the Dutch aviation market is provided. The path implies increasing the share of CO₂-free energy carriers to 100% in 2050 for all departing and arriving flights. Methodologically, first, the aggregate ticket price increase as a result of this policy is estimated. Second, demand price elasticity factors are applied to the price increase to estimate the impact of complete decarbonization on the number of passengers carried by the Dutch aviation sector in 2050. The findings outline that a shift to exclusively CO₂-free energy carriers will result in a 15% reduction in the number of passengers in 2050 compared to the market development under ReFuelEU Aviation obligations. The Dutch aviation sector will still grow from 81 million passengers in 2019 to between 98 and 138 million in 2050, but the growth rate will be significantly lower than before 2019. The expected sustainable energy requirements will be 171 PJ per year in 2050, with a likely range between 146 and 206 PJ, representing no substantial change from the 2019 level of 166 PJ. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Aviation)

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29 pages, 327 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stakeholder Perceptions on Sustainability Challenges and Innovations in General Aviation

by Michael Stiebe

Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16505; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316505 - 02 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1146

Abstract

While commercial aviation has received considerable social, political, and scholarly attention, general aviation (GA) has largely operated beneath the radar of sustainability discourse. GA grapples with a spectrum of sustainability challenges, encompassing the persistent use of leaded aviation gasoline, outdated technology, evolving demographics, [...] Read more.

While commercial aviation has received considerable social, political, and scholarly attention, general aviation (GA) has largely operated beneath the radar of sustainability discourse. GA grapples with a spectrum of sustainability challenges, encompassing the persistent use of leaded aviation gasoline, outdated technology, evolving demographics, escalating operational costs, noise pollution, adverse environmental perceptions, and public discontent. The sustainability transition in GA, akin to other transport sectors, is an intricate, sociotechnical process necessitating the integration of stakeholder and community perspectives. Existing literature primarily concentrates on technological aspects, offering a partial view of GA stakeholder viewpoints. This paper draws on quantitative methodology and conducts several statistical analyses, foremost ANOVA, t-tests, and regressions, of data from a 2022 online survey (N = 427) involving a diverse range of GA stakeholders. This study examines sustainability consciousness and perceptions within the GA community. The findings underscore shared sustainability concerns among GA stakeholders and illustrate how sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, income, and education exert varying degrees of influence on these perceptions. Additionally, a positive relationship emerges between non-aviation-related and aviation-related sustainability consciousness. Lastly, pilots with prior experience in electric aircraft display a more favorable view of electric aviation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Aviation)

22 pages, 4428 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparative Study between Paper and Paperless Aircraft Maintenance: A Case Study

by Elif Karakilic, Enes Gunaltili, Selcuk Ekici, Alper Dalkiran, Ozgur Balli and Tahir Hikmet Karakoc

Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 15150; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152015150 - 23 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1524

Abstract

The rapid growth of airlines over the last period has led to the development of the aviation industry, resulting in increased requirements for ancillary services. Nowadays, the demand for the use of paper-based documents is increasing day by day as airlines encourage passengers [...] Read more.

The rapid growth of airlines over the last period has led to the development of the aviation industry, resulting in increased requirements for ancillary services. Nowadays, the demand for the use of paper-based documents is increasing day by day as airlines encourage passengers to use more ancillary products. One of the most important issues in the aviation industry is flight safety. The procedures and instructions required for all aviation operations are organized in accordance with the regulations and printed on paper in accordance with the demands. For this reason, since it is mandatory to keep all aircraft maintenance, repair, and operation records on printed paper and to keep them for a certain period of time, aircraft fly with almost their entire weight on paper. Considering the global hazards in the world, although the aviation sector is the least environmentally damaging of all transportation sectors, new solutions have been sought to make aviation operations less harmful to the environment, minimize errors and risks, allow for faster communication, and be safer and more sustainable. In order to meet the demands, studies on reducing the use of paper have been brought to the agenda. In this study, after a literature review, real data from a maintenance, repair, and overhaul organization are used to suggest digital conveniences that can save costs, increase productivity, save space, facilitate documentation and information sharing, keep personal information more secure, and help the environment through paperless living. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Aviation)

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20 pages, 513 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Analysis of Direct Operating Costs: Conventional vs. Hydrogen Fuel Cell 19-Seat Aircraft

by Maršenka Marksel and Anita Prapotnik Brdnik

Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11271; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411271 - 19 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1066

Abstract

In this paper, a comparative analysis of direct operating costs between a 19-seat conventional and hydrogen-powered fuel cell aircraft is performed by developing a model to estimate direct operating costs and considering the evolution of costs over time from 2030 to 2050. However, [...] Read more.

In this paper, a comparative analysis of direct operating costs between a 19-seat conventional and hydrogen-powered fuel cell aircraft is performed by developing a model to estimate direct operating costs and considering the evolution of costs over time from 2030 to 2050. However, due to the technology being in its early stages of development and implementation, there are still considerable uncertainties surrounding the direct operating costs of hydrogen aircraft. To address this, the study considers high and low kerosene growth rates and optimistic and pessimistic development scenarios for hydrogen fuel cell aircraft, while also considering the evolution of costs over time. The comparative analysis uses real flight and aircraft data for the airliner Trade Air. The results show that the use of 19-seat hydrogen fuel cell aircraft for air transportation is a viable option when compared to conventional aircraft. Additionally, the study suggests potential policies and other measures that could accelerate the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology by considering their direct operating costs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Aviation)

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16 pages, 2977 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biodiesel from Recycled Sunflower and Palm Oil—A Sustainable Fuel for Microturbo-Engines Used in Airside Applications

by Grigore Cican, Daniel Eugeniu Crunteanu, Radu Mirea, Laurentiu Constantin Ceatra and Constantin Leventiu

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2079; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032079 - 21 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1663

Abstract

An experimental assessment of burning behavior of some aviation fuel and biodiesel obtained from waste oil mixture has been performed within this paper. The biodiesel was obtained from sunflower and palm waste oil (SFP) and the mixtures consisted of 10, 30 and 50% [...] Read more.

An experimental assessment of burning behavior of some aviation fuel and biodiesel obtained from waste oil mixture has been performed within this paper. The biodiesel was obtained from sunflower and palm waste oil (SFP) and the mixtures consisted of 10, 30 and 50% biodiesel in regular aviation fuel. The aviation fuel is a mixture of Jet A fuel + 5% Aeroshell 500 oil (called Ke) with the oil being added for turbo-engine’s lubrication. So, the used fuels were: Ke, Ke + 10% SFP, Ke + 30% SFP, Ke + 50% SFP. In first step, SFP was characterized in terms of: density, kinematic viscosity, flash and freezing points and calorific power. Also a deeper analysis was made by using FTIR for all the fuels involved in the experiments. The second step consisted of assessing the chemical reactions that occur during the burning process. Thus starting from the known elemental analysis, the air needed for a stoichiometric reaction has been calculated for each fuel mixtures. Also the resulting CO₂ and water has been calculated from the reactions. The third step consisted of experimental testing the burning behavior of the above mentioned fuels on a micro turbo-engine. The used engine was Jet Cat P80^® provided by Gunt Hamburg, Barsbüttel, Germany. The variation of: rpm vs. time, burning temperature vs. time and fuel debit vs. rpm are presented for starting and yield procedures. The tests have been conducted at 8 different working regimes of the engine. For each regime, an 1 min testing period was chose, during which burning temperature vs. rpm, fuel debit vs. rpm and thrust force vs. rpm were monitored. For maximum regime, only calculus for burning, thermal efficiencies and specific consumption have been made. As a main conclusion, the engine working behavior was steady throughout the entire range of rpm and for all the blends fed, thus the studied fuel blends may be considered as sustainable fuel for applications that are using micro turbo-engines with main advantages related to pollution and raw materials allowing the production of this type of fuel. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Aviation)

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18 pages, 8895 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Analysis of the Relationship between the Low-Temperature Properties and Distillation Profiles of HEFA-Processed Bio-Jet Fuel

by Hwayeon Jeon, Jo Yong Park, Mirae Ok, Gi Bo Han, Jae Woo Lee and Jae-Kon Kim

Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 799; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010799 - 01 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2468

Abstract

The greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mandate on jet fuel requires a gradual reduction in the fuel’s GHG emissions, up to 50%, by 2050. For this reason, the demand for bio-jet fuel blended with conventional petroleum-derived jet fuel will increase. In order to meet [...] Read more.

The greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mandate on jet fuel requires a gradual reduction in the fuel’s GHG emissions, up to 50%, by 2050. For this reason, the demand for bio-jet fuel blended with conventional petroleum-derived jet fuel will increase. In order to meet the quality requirement of blended fuels (ASTM D7566), modeling that can predict the correlation between properties is required. Our aim was to predict the low-temperature properties using the distillation profile results obtained from Simulated Distillation (SIMDIS) according to the carbon number and chemical compositions of bio-jet fuel through correlation and regression analysis. We used hydroprocessed ester and fatty acid (HEFA) bio-jet fuel and hydrocarbon reagents that included C₈, C₁₀, and C₁₂ carbons and five main families of hydrocarbons for blended jet fuel. This study shows an overall trend for each component, indicating that the distilled volume fraction is more affected than the carbon number. In the case of the freezing point, by composition, n-paraffin and naphthene have regression coefficients of more than 0.85 for the 50% and 60% recovery temperatures, respectively. In terms of carbon number, the C₈ sample has a significant regression coefficient for the 40% recovery temperature, and C₁₀ has a significant regression coefficient for the initial boiling point (IBP) and 10% recovery temperature. In the case of kinematic viscosity, by composition, the regression coefficient is significant for the 20% to 40% recovery temperatures. For naphthene, the kinematic viscosity exhibited no relationship with carbon number. This information can be utilized to determine the blended ratio of bio-jet fuel and conventional jet fuel in newly certified or commercial applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Aviation)

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14 pages, 1119 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Risk Assessment Model Based on Set Pair Analysis Applied to Airport Bird Strikes

by Rui Wang, Qiang Zhao, Hui Sun, Xuedong Zhang and Yuyue Wang

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12877; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912877 - 09 Oct 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1629

Abstract

In order to comprehensively evaluate the risk of bird strike at airports and effectively prevent the occurrence of bird strike events, this paper constructs the risk assessment index system of airport bird strike from five perspectives of “personnel-bird-equipment-environment-management”. For the purpose of maximizing [...] Read more.

In order to comprehensively evaluate the risk of bird strike at airports and effectively prevent the occurrence of bird strike events, this paper constructs the risk assessment index system of airport bird strike from five perspectives of “personnel-bird-equipment-environment-management”. For the purpose of maximizing variances, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the entropy weight method are combined and used to obtain the comprehensive weights. The five-element connection number of Set Pair Analysis (SPA) is introduced to establish the identical-discrepancy-contrary airport bird strike risk assessment model, and the risk trend is analyzed according to the partial connection number for each order. The experiment results show that the combined weighting method can minimize the weight deviation and demonstrate good accuracy in determining the weights of indicators at all levels. The established airport bird strike risk assessment model can reasonably predict the risk trend, which is significant for airport personnel to carry out bird strike prevention works. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Aviation)

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15 pages, 529 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Maximum Take-Off Mass Estimation of a 19-Seat Fuel Cell Aircraft Consuming Liquid Hydrogen

by Maršenka Marksel and Anita Prapotnik Brdnik

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8392; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148392 - 08 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2092

Abstract

In this paper, the maximum take-off mass (

M T O M

) of a 19-seat fuel cell aircraft with similar characteristics to a conventional 19-seat aircraft is estimated using the combination of a rapid method and semi-empirical equations. The study shows that [...] Read more.

In this paper, the maximum take-off mass (

M T O M

) of a 19-seat fuel cell aircraft with similar characteristics to a conventional 19-seat aircraft is estimated using the combination of a rapid method and semi-empirical equations. The study shows that the

M T O M

of a 19-seat fuel cell aircraft with current technology would be 25% greater than that of a conventional aircraft. However, with the expected technological improvements, the

M T O M

of a 19-seat fuel cell aircraft could reach lower values than that of a conventional aircraft. The most important parameter affecting the

M T O M

of fuel cell aircraft is the power-to-weight ratio of the fuel cells. If this ratio of fuel cell aircraft does not improve significantly in the future, fuel cell aircraft with lower power loading will become the preferred choice; thus, certain trade-offs in flight performance, such as a longer takeoff distance, will be accepted. The study provides the basis for further economic analysis of fuel cell aircraft, which has yet to be conducted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Aviation)

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