Immediate Impacts on Particulate and Gaseous Emissions from a T56 Turbo-Prop Engine Using a Biofuel Blend

Adoption of hydro-processed esters and fatty acid biojet fuels is a critical component for the sustainability of the aviation industry. Aviation biofuels reduce pollution and provide alternatives to conventional fossil fuels. A study of the impacts of biofuels on emissions from a T56 turbo-prop engine was undertaken as a joint effort among several departments of the Government of Canada. In this study, particulate (including particle number and black carbon (BC) mass) and regulated gaseous emissions (CO₂, CO, NO, NO₂, THC) were characterized with the engine operating on conventional F-34 jet fuel and jet fuel blended with camelina-based hydro-processed biojet fuel (C-HEFA) by 50% in volume. Emissions characterization, conducted after 20-hour ground engine durability tests, showed immediate significant reductions in particle number and BC mass when the engine was operated on the C-HEFA blend. Operating at high speed ground idle (HSGI) using the C-HEFA blend reduced particle number and BC mass emissions by 31% and 50%, respectively. At Take-off engine mode, particle number and BC mass reductions were 22% and 32%, respectively. In addition, particles generated from the C-HEFA blend were also observed to be slightly smaller than those generated from the conventional jet fuel by 2-4 nanometer (nm). CO emissions from the C-HEFA blend were lower by 4-6%. CO₂ emissions from the C-HEFA blend were lower by approximately 1%, consistent with the difference in hydrocarbon ratios in the C-HEFA blend.