Boeing, NASA measure sustainable aviation fuel emissions
Passing the sniff test: Boeing ecoDemonstrator program teams up with NASA to test sustainable aviation fuel emissions.
BNN
Boeing emissions technical fellow Steve Baughcum stands shoulder-to-shoulder with NASA researchers in a large van parked 125 feet behind the 2022 Boeing ecoDemonstrator aircraft. The 777-200ER test bed sits in a stall at the Everett Delivery Center loaded with 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF); its Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines are at full thrust.
The van, safely buffeted by the blast deflector, is NASA’s mobile laboratory outfitted with a suite of particle and gas instruments connected to a probe sampling the exhaust plume. Baughcum’s eyes are glued to a computer monitor displaying the size and chemical breakdown of the particulate in the SAF emissions — and he likes what he sees.
As the 2022 Boeing ecoDemonstrator runs on sustainable aviation fuel in its right engine, a measurement probe mounted on the jet blast deflector collects the emissions for analysis by researchers in the NASA mobile laboratory parked nearby. (Boeing photo)“We are still early in the process of analyzing the data, but we can see the positive effects of SAF,” Baughcum said. “The significantly reduced soot particles and total aerosols in the SAF emissions compared to petroleum-based conventional Jet A fuel is really encouraging.”
This is the second year the ecoDemonstrator program is partnering with NASA for SAF emissions testing, which pairs Boeing’s aerospace engineering with NASA’s research capabilities. The team also had the opportunity to test a 787-10 powered with GEnx-1B engines, and last year, they conducted similar testing on the 2021 Boeing ecoDemonstrator, an Alaska Airlines 737-9 with LEAP-1B engines.
Flight Test lead engineer Rachel Wittrock coordinated this year’s testing, which included multiple teams across the enterprise and outside of Boeing.
“The Boeing ecoDemonstrator program, Product Development, Flight Test engineers, mechanics and ground operations worked with NASA, Aerodyne Research, Rolls-Royce, GE, CFM, EPIC Fuels and World Energy,” Wittrock said. “It was a true One Boeing effort.”
Boeing flight test engineers Nevin Singh (from left), Andreas Weisweaver, Nathan Quick and Kayla Albaugh monitor engine parameters on the 2022 ecoDemonstrator during emissions testing. (Boeing photo)“Testing all of these platforms with various engine technologies helps increase our understanding on how sustainable aviation fuel can have positive impacts on air quality when engines are idling at airports, and on the climate warming potential of contrails in the atmosphere,” said Rich Moore, NASA’s physical research scientist.
For many of the researchers who are passionate about mitigating climate change, the research is personal.
“Sustainable fuels are what we at Boeing believe are the best near term solution to reducing carbon emissions,” said Bill Griffin, lead technical engineer for the Boeing ecoDemonstrator program. “This is my chance to support the industry’s commitment to net zero by 2050 and take tangible steps to ensure our airplanes are 100% SAF-capable by 2030.”
By Elisa Hahn