Home / Archive / N3 2009 / GAS-FUELED AIRCRAFT A NEW PRIORITY?
GAS-FUELED AIRCRAFT A NEW PRIORITY?
World powers are constantly seeking alternative fuels, as aviation kerosene and air transportation prices highly depend on free market oil price fluctuations. Last year, oil sold at $147 a barrel, making scientists step up their search for an alternative to
aviation kerosene.
World powers are constantly seeking alternative fuels, as aviation kerosene and air transportation prices highly depend on free market oil price fluctuations. Last year, oil sold at $147 a barrel, making scientists step up their search for an alternative to aviation kerosene. Frequent mass media reports on first test flights of aircraft using alternative fuels also indicate this. Some of them are
given below:
“Qatar Airlines is planning to convert its aircraft from kerosene to natural gas. The company’s Commercial Director Ali Al Rais told local media Qatar Gas, Royal Dutch Shell and Qatar Airlines are negotiating an action plan for this project which could make the major Middle East air carrier the first to
give up traditional fuel”.
“The Airbus A380 was the first commercial aircraft to fly with Shell synthetic jet fuel processed from gas…”
«The U.S. company AeroVironment successfully tested the world’s first unmanned
airplane fueled with liquid hydrogen …»
What is Aviation Liquefied Fuel?
Actually, the first flights of aircraft fueled with alternative fuel, namely liquid hydrogen, liquefied natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, were performed over 20 years ago in Russia. It was here, and not in Europe or America, that scientists, seeking a replacement for aviation kerosene, sent the first gas-fueled airplanes and helicopters into flights totaling dozens and hundreds of hours. The idea to use propane-butane fuels to run helicopters emerged in the late 1970s. A few years later, Russian aviation and oil&gas scientists suggested using a more environmental and cheap aviation liquefied propane and butane fuel ALF (Aviation Liquefied Fuel, in Russian: ASKT) (specification #U39 1215-87), which, according to N. Bashchenko of the Scientific Research and Design Institute for Gas Processing (NIPI Gazpererabotka), can be derived from associated petroleum gas (APG) or combination gas. This type of fuel is less corrosive towards bearing and stuffing materials, while its production cost is far less than that of aviation kerosene and comparable to the production cost of
propane motor fuel.
Liquefied gas was first used in 1987 to fuel one of a Mil Mi-8TG helicopter’s engines, while the other power unit was running on traditional fuel. The helicopter crew tried all the usual flight modes, showing excellent results. In the early 1990s, the specification for ALF was adjusted (#U39 1547-91), and Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant in cooperation with Interaviagaz designed the first Mi-8TG prototype and put it through initial tests. This helicopter had both engines capable of running on either aviation kerosene or ALF, or on a mixture of both at any ratio. The helicopter performed demonstration flights at the MAKS-96 air show in Zhukovsky outside Moscow.
Those interested are welcome
Vyacheslav Zaitsev, one of the masterminds behind the gas-fueled helicopter concept, said at a round table meeting during the HeliRussia exhibition in May 2009: “Modification of Mi-8 helicopter as well as its engines is rather simple and can be managed at any repair base within two or three weeks.” The physical properties of ALF allow using for its transportation any equipment aimed at propane-butane fuels. Engineers therefore won’t have to face complicated technical tasks and the production costs will be comparable to that of a standard refuelling complex”. A trial refuelling complex had been built in accordance with the specifications provided by InterAviaGaz and agreed with Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and Gromov Flight Research Institute, and bench-tested in summer and winter conditions with both kerosene and liquefied gas at a Central Institute of Aviation Motors branch in Lytkarino outside Moscow.
Designers say a gas-fueled helicopter could be used in oil and gas production areas and hard-to-reach parts of Russia’s Far North and West Siberia. Replacing liquid fuel with ALF could save $100,000 a year per aircraft, as the price of LAF is several times lower than that of aviation kerosene, which significantly decreases a flight hour’s cost. Additionally, this type of fuel increases the range of aircraft. Professor Valentin Malyshev, deputy chief designer at Tupolev Design Bureau, highlighted the
high safety of ALF, giving three examples: “1. On kerosene-fueled aircraft, we are able to determine a fuel leak only after the plane catches fire. Gas is different, and, in case of leakage, vapors to form a concentration measurable for gasometry instruments. 2. Gas tanks don’t explode, as they have no connection to the atmosphere. In other words, kerosene-filled tanks are more explosion-dangerous. 3. If kerosene flows out of the tank and catches fire, severe consequences can seldom be avoided, while a gas leak leaves the crew a better escape probability”. “ALF exceeds kerosene by performance, as it has a higher combustion value than the latter, which could improve the weight characteristics of aircraft,” Alexei Baikov of Baranov Central Institute of Aviation Motors says. “The ALF can be a far better coolant for the aircraft engines than the traditional fuel, which makes ALF very promising for
advanced aviation”, Mr. Baikov added.
Confined to compliments
Back in 1995, a gas-fueled helicopter displayed at the MAKS air show drew attention of Russian aviation authorities, the latter, however, confined themselves to compliments and appreciation only. That helicopter is grounded now, ageing along with its developers. For many years, nobody tried to promote this program or take up the innovation technology. This looks really strange, as aviation gas fuel technology was included in the federal target program for the development of Russian civil aviation for 2002 through 2010 and until 2015. Weird, but the propane-butane aviation research and gas-fueled helicopter tests disappeared from the federal program without a trace.
Sergei Postoev of State Civil Aviation Research Institute says: “We are trying to revive this technology, but there’s little time left, as we are losing people who have been burning with this idea. Last year, Vladimir Andreev, the developer of the Tupolev Tu-155, and Chief Designer Pyotr Izotov of the Klimov Plant, who led the ALF-fueled gas turbine development, passed away”.
Soon, the last of the Mi-8Ts, (the project was initially started for these helicopters), will wear out. Engineers and scientists don’t give up, however, hoping that ALF could be used to fuel other helicopter models, including the Mi-8MTV, Mi-171, Mi-38 and others, as well as regional aircraft like the Ilyushin Il-114 or the “immortal” Antonov An-2. The cheaper gas fuel could make air transportation more affordable, revive regional aviation and boost cargo and passenger traffic in hard-to-reach areas. An increase in helicopter and airplane operation through the introduction of ALF would facilitate regional industry and employment growth as well.
Anatoly Belov, Chief Designer of Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, says this goal is feasible, but requires significant investments, dozens of millions of rubles, to tweak the TV3-117 gas turbine, compose new manuals for Mil helicopters, perform flight tests etc.
No law, no order
Meanwhile, APG is still being flared, polluting the atmosphere. According to various sources, the annual APG waste totals between 20 and 50 billion cubic meters. A cubic meter of associated gas contains between 15 and 300 grams of easy-to-condensate hydrocarbons, which means Russia flares over 6 million tons of hydrocarbons, which is comparable with the amount of kerosene consumed by all of the country’s civil aircraft.
Only a few Russian oil companies
recycle associated gas, like they do in Nefteyugansk, using it to heat buildings and fuel specialized machinery. In Yamalo- Nentsk and Khanty-Mansiisk autonomous areas, as well as in the southern Tyumen Region, oil producers don’t care about recycling, and go on with associated gas flaring. They say, there’s no demand, no equipment, no infrastructure, while transportation would raise the gas price by many times.
“If they gradually converted aircraft and ground vehicles to ALF ' LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) in these areas, as well as small-scale thermal power generation units and household systems, there would emerge an efficient hydrocarbon gas market”,
Vyacheslav Zaitsev says. “This would also facilitate the resolving of another important issue, the utilization of associated gas, cutting transportation costs sharply. Producers and consumers of ALF ' LHCG (liquefied hydrocarbon gases) could get significant benefits!” he adds. According to the Natural Resources Ministry, “The integrated effect from the procession of this amount of gas could make up over 350 billion rubles per year. Clearly, this is lost benefit!” Gazprom experts lament: “We could have made lots of useful things from the currently wasted gas. And nobody knows the health damage done
to people by gas flaring”.
“Such mess happens due to lack of appropriate legal framework”, say Russian Oil and Gas Producers Union president Gennady Shmal and Vladimir Sosnovsky, vice president of Gas Fuel Consumers Union (SPGT). “Russia needs to introduce a law on alternative fuel, introducing preferences for both developers of new materials and producers of alternative fuel”, Moscow mayor Yuriy Luzhkov said at the first international conference “Alternative energy sources for big cities” back in 2005. Draft laws on alternative fuels usage and on associated gas, however, haven’t been passed so far. Both drafts have been in the State Duma since 2000, and deputies haven’t gone back to them since 2006. In 2007, Russian Natural Resources Ministry submitted a draft action plan to enhance the efficiency of associated petroleum gas disposal, setting a 95% APG utilization goal for 2011 and suggesting introduction of progressive scale payments for excessive APG emission starting from that year.
According to the plan, companies incapable of recycling the required percentage of associated gas would have to pay off huge fines. The government should have amended its 2003 executive order on payments for atmospheric pollution. Up to now, however, nothing has been done about this issue.
This year, according to a governmental directive, the Energy Ministry and The Ministry of Justice were to cooperate with federal executive authorities to resume the development of measures to enhance the efficiency of APG use. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, whilst on a visit to Kirishy, reiterated that the government is determined to reach 95% APG disposal, this time the goal set for 2012.
Let there be gas!
“The problem is that petroleum-associated agents keep lobbying their interests,” says Vladimir Sosnitsky of SPTK. “So far there are oil reserves, they won’t let alternative fuels out. Hardly any one of them would wish to lose his incomes. Despite the oil prices plunging by several times, the price for motor petrol went down by just a few per cent. They actually prevented it from falling”, he adds. “Converting transport, including aviation, to alternative fuels, will require strong political will”, says Alexei Ablazov, head of Russian Transportation Ministry’s department for government policy on civil aviation. It appears that no government agency can cope with oil companies alone.
Nevertheless, alternative fuels will continue to exist despite any trouble, almost all industry’s experts say, citing the April summit, where G20 leaders received a strict message from the International Commission on Climate and Energy Security stating that a shift to an environmentally friendly economy belongs to the most important steps of the anti-crisis strategy.
If this kind of restrictions is introduced, fuel consumers will have to put environmental friendliness first, with affordability and benefit coming secondary.
“The oil reserves will last for only 50 to 100 years”, says Grigory Koryukin, geochemical gas and oil field detection director at Pangea Inc. “It’s time we stopped thinking Russia is an “oil power”. We don’t have to wait until oil is out, and only then rush to find new types of fuel. We need to develop gas fuel technology and nanotechnology. Sure, this requires huge investments in research, infrastructure development, construction of gas-filling stations, batch production of engines and equipment for a variety of fuels”, he added. Meanwhile, the current raw material reserves suitable for ALF production are encouraging. According to Sergei Fyodorov, head of Russian Natural Resources Ministry’s department for government policy and geological and mineral resource regulation, the APG reserves alone exceed 2 trillion cubic meters. Besides, natural gas, especially combination gas, contains a significant number of propane-butane admixtures. Propane-butane is produced through oil processing, gas condensate stabilization or coal oil extraction.
There are plenty of ideas, but experts say without government support, all the discoveries and developments would remain ink on paper
