Boeing, NASA and United Airlines to test SAF benefits
Published by Poppy Clements,
Editorial Assistant
Hydrocarbon Engineering,
Boeing's second ecoDemonstrator Explorer, a 737-10 destined for United Airlines, will fly with 100% SAF and conventional jet fuel in separate tanks and alternate fuels during testing. NASA's DC-8 Airborne Science Lab will fly behind the commercial jet and measure emissions produced by each type of fuel and contrail ice particles. NASA satellites will capture images of contrail formation as part of the testing.
The researchers aim to understand how advanced fuels, engine combustor designs and other technologies may reduce atmospheric warming. For example, tests will assess how SAF affects the characteristics of contrails, the persistent condensation trails produced when airplanes fly through cold, humid air. While their full impact is not yet understood, some research has suggested certain contrails can trap heat in the atmosphere.
World Energy is supplying SAF for the tests from its Paramount, California, US, facility.
The project is the latest phase in a multi-year partnership between Boeing and NASA to analyse how SAF can reduce emissions and enable other environmental benefits. Compared to conventional jet fuel, SAF – made from a range of sustainably produced feedstocks – can reduce emissions by up to 85% over the fuel's life cycle and offers the greatest potential to reduce aviation CO2 over the next 30 years. SAF also produces less soot which can improve air quality near airports.
Lauren Riley, Chief Sustainability Officer, United Airlines, said: "This collaboration between Boeing, NASA and United has the potential to not only help us better understand contrails, but to provide the full scope of what our transition to SAF can provide beyond greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions."
The Boeing ecoDemonstrator programme was expanded in 2023 to include Explorer airplanes focused on short-term, specific test projects. Boeing and NASA conducted SAF emissions ground testing on an Alaska Airlines 737-9 in 2021 and ecoDemonstrator 777-200ER and 787-10 flight-test jets in 2022. Boeing has committed to deliver commercial airplanes compatible with 100% SAF by 2030.
Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/clean-fuels/13102023/boeing-nasa-and-united-airlines-to-test-saf-benefits/
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