Airbus has confirmed that findings from its joint investigation into the impact of 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on engines has provided promising early results.
The third Emission and Climate Impact of Alternative Fuels (ECLIF3) study has involved participation from the pan-European aerospace giant, as well as Rolls-Royce, the German aerospace research centre DLR, and SAF producer Neste. During the experiment, 100% SAF was measured simultaneously on both engines of a passenger airliner.
An Airbus A350-900, F-WXWB (c/n 001), was used for the trials, with the widebody airliner followed by DLR’s Dassault Falcon 20, D-CMET (c/n 329) on a trio of flights during April. The business-jet-turned-research-platform sampled in-flight emissions of both kerosene and Neste’s hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) sustainable fuel to enable scientists from the National Research Council of Canada and The University of Manchester to compare the impacts of both fuels on the environment.
A second series of in-flight emissions tests using 100% SAF and a HEFA/Jet A-1 fuel blend, as well as associated ground testing on the ECLIF3 programme resumed earlier this month.
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