At its Peebles, Ohio, testing facility, GE Aviation is fueling a corporate business jet engine with 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This is the second engine its tested with fuel made up entirely of fats, oils and greases.
ASTM International has approved Sustainable Aviation Fuel blends to date up to 50%, so GE and its competitors are looking to the future with 100% SAF.
The U.S. government has two goals for sustainable aviation fuel:
- Production of 3 billion gallons by 2030 (a 600-fold increase from 2021)
- Production of 35 billion gallons by 2050, enough to meet the projected U.S. demand for aviation
In addition, GE Aviation has a net zero goal for 2050 and is working with Safran to create a new greener engine by 2035, as WVXU reported last summer.
Tests on the GE Honda HF120
GE and Honda formed a 50/50 joint venture in 2004, called GE Honda Aero Engines, based in Burlington, North Carolina.
In Peebles, the GE Honda HF120 sits inside a sphere which controls wind flow. Acting Plant Manager Jose Gonzalez walks up to get a closer look.
“This is probably a good side view, right there. You can see the engine. I don’t know if you can make it out. It’s on center line with respect to our spherical inlet conditioner and it’s operating at idle.”
Engineers accelerate the HF 120 Honda engine once we're a safe distance away. It's smaller than the other engine GE tested earlier this year on 100% sustainable aviation fuel, the Passport. The HF 120 is connected to a tanker which holds sustainable aviation fuel.
The tests took several days to complete. A small sample of the SAF goes to the fuel and oil lab and that’s where GE analyzes it to make sure the fuel is efficient.
On Monday, the company said in a news release preliminary test results for the HF 120 were favorable, with engine performance equivalent to Jet A fuel during the SAF run.
What’s in the fuel?
Manager of sustainability and fuels Jieun Kirtley explains this green fuel is basically kerosene with renewable feedstock. It can also be made up of municipal solid waste, forestry waste or carbon captured in the atmosphere.
“The beauty of SAF is that it’s a drop-in fuel, and when we say drop-in, it’s equivalent to Jet A (standard fuel) so that you can use it in current engines, future engines and current infrastructure so you don’t need to change a lot.” says Kirtley.
ASTM has approved seven different blends.
How much can a fuel like this reduce carbon emissions? Eighty percent, says Kirtley when using 100% SAF. It's 40% percent with a 50% blend.
“We are excited to share one of the steps GE Honda Aero Engines is taking toward carbon neutrality based on our belief that reducing our impact on the environment is not just an initiative, but an obligation,” said Shinji Tsukiyama, executive vice president of GHAE. “In addition to HF 120’s best-in-class fuel efficiency, future use of 100% SAF on HF 120 will further contribute to environmental sustainability.”
GE Aviation is also looking into hydrogen and other fuel that would require changes to be made to the engine.
As you might imagine, GE Aviation isn't the only engine manufacturer testing with 100% SAF. Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce and others are also on the green trajectory.
