Combustion and Emissions Characteristics of the Turbine Engine Fueled with HEFA Blends from Different Feedstocks

In the next decade, due to the desire for significant reduction in the carbon footprint left by the aviation sector and the development of a sustainable alternatives to petroleum, fuel from renewable sources will play an increasing role as a propellant for turbine aircraft engines. Currently, apart from five types of jet fuel containing synthesized hydrocarbons that are certified by the ASTM D7566 standard, there is yet another synthetic blending component that is at the stage of testing and certification. Hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids enable the production of a synthetic component for jet fuel from any form of native fat or oil. Used feedstock affects the final synthetic blending component composition and consequently the properties of the blend for jet fuel and, as a result, the operation of turbine engines. A specialized laboratory test rig with a miniature turbojet engine was used for research, which is an interesting alternative to complex and expensive tests with full scale turbine engines. The results of this study revealed the differences in the parameters of engine performance and emission characteristics between tested fuels with synthetic blending components and neat jet fuel. The synthetic blending component was obtained from two different feedstock. Noticeable changes were obtained for fuel consumption, CO and NOx emissions. With the addition of the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) component, the fuel consumption and CO emissions decrease. The opposite trend was observed for NOx emission. The tests presented in this article are a continuation of the authors’ research area related to alternative fuels for aviation.