Session 3D

Topic:  Aircraft Emissions: Future Impacts and Alternative Fuels
Chairs: Dr. Mel Roquemore, Air Force Research Laboratory and Dr. Richard Miake-Lye, Aerodyne Research, Inc.
Keynote: Dr. Ian Waitz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Increasing costs of aviation fuel and the growing dependence on foreign sources of petroleum are driving the development of high fuel efficient gas turbine engines and alternative fuels. High engine operating pressures and temperatures are critical for high fuel efficiencies but are conducive to the formation of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulates (PM2.5). Alternative fuels can affect aircraft emissions but not always in predictable ways, especially at high pressures. Modeling and measurements of emissions of NOx, hydrocarbons, and particulate emissions are advancing rapidly, in parallel with the understanding of how these emissions, in concert with the primary emission of carbon dioxide, affect air quality and the global atmosphere. This session provided an overview of future impacts of gas turbine engine technology and alternative fuels on aircraft emissions.