United Conducts First U.S. Commercial Flight Using Synthetic Jet Fuel
Late last month, United Airlines completed the first flight by a U.S. commercial airline using natural gas synthetic jet fuel.
Specifically, this was an “engineering validation” flight conducted using a certified synthetic jet fuel (RenJet) produced by Rentech, Inc. and approved for commercial use. RenJet was used in a 40/60 mix with conventional Jet A fuel in one of two engines on an Airbus 319 aircraft.
RenJet is derived from natural gas and converted to liquid fuel, and it’s considered a “drop-in” fuel –which means that it can be used in existing engines with no modifications required.
On April 30, the United flight departed Denver International Airport at approximately 8:15 a.m. MDT and climbed to an altitude of 39,000 feet where the onboard team collected data on the performance of the fuel during several maneuvers, including taxi, takeoff, climb, cruise, auxiliary power unit start, descent and approach. Researchers are now analyzing that data to determine the performance and environmental benefits of the new fuel.
Last year, more than a dozen domestic and international passenger and cargo carriers signed Memorandums of Understanding that are intended to serve as a framework for future supply agreements for certified synthetic jet fuel and for jet fuel derived from camelina oil, a next-generation biofuel feedstock. (See this earlier post for some thoughts on Richard Branson and his vision for Virgin’s use of biofuels.)
United says last month’s test flight with RenJet further demonstrates its commitment to the advancement of alternative fuels in commercial aviation.
“This flight confirms our assumptions about how this fuel performs on a commercial aircraft and is the next step in our effort to stimulate competition in the aviation fuel supply chain, promote energy security, environmental benefits, and the creation of green jobs,” says Joseph Kolshak, United Airlines senior vice president of operations. “United continues to support the use of alternative fuels, and we urge the U.S. government and the investment community to further support critical energy opportunities.”
Dell, the corporation that helped set the supply chain standard for speed with its build-to-order business model, recently announced a new strategic approach and philosophy that will shift huge numbers of shipments from air to ocean.Obviously, companies are looking to cut costs and reduce the environmental impact of their supply chains, and it seems the airline industry is going to have to continue to move in the direction of alternative fuels in order to satisfy customers’ increasingly “green” expectations.
