Email

Print

  Bioenergy News

US Navy tests biofuels in supersonic jet fighter

The US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet, AKA the Green Hornet, flying yesterday in Maryland using biojet fuel

The US Navy carried out a test flight yesterday, using biofuel to power a supersonic jet fighter aircraft.

The Earth Day test was carried out at the Naval Air Warfare Center in Patuxent, Maryland, and makrs the first use of biofuel-blend jet fuel in a supersonic jet with afterburners.

The test is part of efforts by the US military to reduce its dependency on foreign oil.

It involved an F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft, demonstrating the performance of jet fuel at supersonic speeds using a 50-50 blend of camelina-based biojet fuel and petroleum-based jet fuel.

The fuel was produced by Honeywell using camelina biofuels supplied by Montana company Sustainable Oils.

According to the U.S. Navy, the “Green Hornet” aircraft performed as engineers expected, successfully completing all aspects of the test flight.

Milestone

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, who attended the test flight, said: “The alternative fuels test program is a significant milestone in the certification and ultimate operational use of biofuels by the Navy and Marine Corps.”

“It’s important to emphasize, especially on Earth Day, the Navy’s commitment to reducing dependence on foreign oil as well as safeguarding our environment. Our Navy, alongside industry, the other services and federal agency partners, will continue to be an early adopter of alternative energy sources,” added Sec. Mabus.

The fuel was produced by Honeywell’s Illinois-based UOP business unit, using its Green Jet Fuel process technology under a project for U.S. Defense Energy Support Center (DESC).

Honeywell’s UOP is producing up to 190,000 gallons of fuel for the Navy and 400,000 gallons for the U.S. Air Force from sustainable, non-food feedstocks, including animal fats, algae and camelina.

Sustainable Oils was awarded its contract to supply 100,000 gallons of camelina-based jet fuel to the US Navy back in September 2009, running through until 2010.

The deal included an option to purchase a further 100,000 gallons between June 2010 and December 2012.

Camelina

The company said the inedible crop Camelina is the most readily available renewable fuel feedstock that meets the US military’s criteria, with the ability to scale up acreage to meet demand.

The Camelina used in the trials was grown in Montana, but Sustainable Oils is also running crop trials in Washington State.

“The success of the Navy’s Earth Day flight again demonstrates that camelina-based jet fuel meets the quality and performance requirements that these aircraft demand,” said Tom Todaro, CEO of Sustainable Oils.

These flights are critical to demonstrating the viability of fuels made from non-food, sustainable feedstocks” - Jennifer Holmgren, UOP

Yesterday’s flight test followed a test on a US Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II on March 25th, 2010. That flight, from Florida’s Eglin Air Force Base, was the first on a 50-50 blend of camelina-based jet fuel and traditional jet fuel.

The 90-minute flight marked the first time that any aircraft has been powered by conventional and biomass-based fuel in all engines.

The biofuel was previously tested in a Japan Airlines commercial test flight in January 2009.

“These flights are critical to demonstrating the viability of fuels made from non-food, sustainable feedstocks and enabling the certification of Green Jet Fuel for military aircraft,” said Jennifer Holmgren, vice president and general manager of UOP’s Renewable Energy & Chemicals business.

“We have already proven that our technology produces a viable fuel in commercial flight applications and look forward to the results of these certification tests.”