NASA tests chicken fat aviation fuel

NASA recently tested a type of biofuel on a NASA DC-8 to measure its performance and emissions as part of the Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment II (AAFEX II).

The Hydrotreated Renewable Jet Fuel is made from chicken fat and is an eco-friendly way to travel.

‘The Air Force bought many thousands of gallons of this to burn in some of their jets and provided about 30,283 litres to NASA for this experiment,’ Bruce Anderson, AAFEX II project scientist says.

Anderson and his team are also to test a 50-50 mix of biofuel and regular jet fuel, biofuel only, and jet fuel only. The jet fuel is Jet Propellant 8, or JP-8, a kerosene-like mix of hydrocarbons.

More than 15 companies are participating in the project, such as federal organisations and academia.

Anderson admits the task will not be easy: ‘This is going to be a lot of hard work.’

‘AAFEX II will provide essential gaseous and particulate emissions data as well as engine and aircraft systems performance data from operation of the DC-8 on a fuel produced from a renewable resource,’ says Glenn's Dan Bulzan, who leads clean energy and emissions research in NASA's Subsonic Fixed Wing Project.

‘NASA Dryden is excited to continue contributing to the study of alternative fuels for aviation use,’ adds Frank Cutler, NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory project manager. ‘These tests will assess exhaust emissions generated by modern turbine aircraft engines using man-made fuels.’

In 2009, researchers in the AAFEX I project tested two synthetic fuels derived from petroleum-based coal and natural gas.