Continental Airlines to conduct bio-based test flight
Continental Airlines will conduct the first algae- and jatropha-based biofuel-powered demonstration flight of a US commercial airliner in Houston on 7 January.
Continental is partnering with Boeing; CFM International, a 50/50 joint company of General Electric and Snecma; refining technology developer UOP, a Honeywell company; algae oil provider Sapphire Energy; and jatropha oil provider Terrasol.
The flight will be the first biofuel flight by a commercial carrier using algae as a fuel source and the first using a two-engine aircraft. A Boeing 737-800 equipped with CFM International CFM56-7B engines will complete the flight.
A blend of 50% biofuel and 50% traditional jet fuel will be used in one of the two CFM engines. The aircraft will be operating under a specially-issued experimental aircraft type certificate, and will be flown by Continental’s FAA-licensed test pilots. There will be no passengers on the plane.
The flight test plan calls for operating the No. 2 engine on the biofuel blend, including power accelerations and decelerations, in-flight engine shut-down, restart, and other flight manoeuvres that include both normal and non-normal procedures.
Numerous flight parameters will be recorded, and a post-flight engines analysis will be conducted. The findings are expected to show that the biofuel blend can readily be substituted for regular fuel without any degradation of performance or safety while providing a net reduction on carbon emissions.
Continental is partnering with Boeing; CFM International, a 50/50 joint company of General Electric and Snecma; refining technology developer UOP, a Honeywell company; algae oil provider Sapphire Energy; and jatropha oil provider Terrasol.
The flight will be the first biofuel flight by a commercial carrier using algae as a fuel source and the first using a two-engine aircraft. A Boeing 737-800 equipped with CFM International CFM56-7B engines will complete the flight.
A blend of 50% biofuel and 50% traditional jet fuel will be used in one of the two CFM engines. The aircraft will be operating under a specially-issued experimental aircraft type certificate, and will be flown by Continental’s FAA-licensed test pilots. There will be no passengers on the plane.
The flight test plan calls for operating the No. 2 engine on the biofuel blend, including power accelerations and decelerations, in-flight engine shut-down, restart, and other flight manoeuvres that include both normal and non-normal procedures.
Numerous flight parameters will be recorded, and a post-flight engines analysis will be conducted. The findings are expected to show that the biofuel blend can readily be substituted for regular fuel without any degradation of performance or safety while providing a net reduction on carbon emissions.
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