Airbus Alternative Fuel Flight Trials

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is contemplating carrying out trial flights using a specific type of alternative fuel - one produced from vegetable oils. 

The announcement was made at the Paris Air Show – which runs up until June 21st and which is a showcase event for all aspects of aerospace, including military and commercial aviation.

Speaking at Paris, Airbus alternative fuels manager, Ross Walker, highlighted a number of factors that would influence the company’s choice to perform the vegetable fuel test flights, or not.  These included analysing how using these kinds of fuels would accelerate the biofuels certification procedure, as well as studying the supply of vegetable oils that could be drawn upon.

On the basis of Airbus proceeding, it – according to Walker – would use nothing but feedstock-derived fuel, like algae fuel, as opposed to a hybrid created from numerous sources.   It would also probably carry out the airborne alternative fuel trials using an Airbus A320 medium-sized passenger airliner – of the type in widespread service with airlines around the world.

Algae Fuel

Algae fuel is also known as algaeoleum and oilgae – alternative names that all signify an alternative fuel derived from algae - a basic plant form of which seaweed is one type.

Airbus’ Walker described how vegetable fats are transformed in oil.  The fats, he said, are deoxygenated and, as a result, excess hydrogen is created.  This hydrogen breaks down carbon, which is then put back together to make the fuel.

At the beginning of 2009, US carrier Continental Airlines carried out an alternative fuels flight using a twin-engined Boeing 737 airliner.  One of its engines was run on conventional jet fuel, the other, on a hybrid biofuel/jet fuel mixture. 

Commenting at the time, the airline’s chief executive/ chairman spoke of how it was likely to be some years yet before alternative power was fuelling the airline industry as a whole, citing reasons of supply and an insufficient number of production/ conversion facilities.

“The challenge will be to produce it in an efficient way in the quantities we need", Larry Kellner explained.