Options
Direct alcohol vs. alcohol-to-jet SPK utilisation in commercial aviation - an energetic-operational analysis
Publikationstyp
Journal Article
Date Issued
2022
Sprache
English
Author(s)
Volume
8
Issue
3
Start Page
1
Citation
International Journal of Sustainable Aviation 8 (3): 1 (2022)
Publisher DOI
Publisher
Inderscience Enterprises
Peer Reviewed
true
To support renewable energy utilisation in aviation apart from kerosene-based sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a direct use of renewable alcohols (methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, pentanol) is analysed and compared to their use as alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) conversion intermediates. The energy demands in the form of alcohol and operational payload-range implications are analysed for two aircraft types, using a Breguet range equation and a mass/energy balance approach. From an energetic perspective a direct alcohol usage is significantly more efficient compared to the ATJ pathway requiring 40 to 60 % more alcoholic energy. Even considering low process losses and high kerosene fractions (95 %), the ATJ conversion still requires about 16 % (26 % for methanol) more alcoholic energy. Especially methanol and ethanol lead to significant payload-range losses compared to kerosene of approx. 70 % and 50 %. These effects are less significant for propanol, butanol, and pentanol with range reductions of 40 %, 30 %, and 25 %.
Subjects
Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF)
alcohol-to-jet (AtJ)
payload-range
methanol
ethanol
DDC Class
620: Ingenieurwissenschaften