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Natural Gas and Aviation
Just a thought, does/can natural gas have a purpose in aviation as fuel? What kind of changes would need to be made, if possible? Can you even use an air-breathing turbine with natural gas?
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The thoughts and opinions shared under this username are mine and are not influenced by my employer.
The thoughts and opinions shared under this username are mine and are not influenced by my employer.
Re: Natural Gas and Aviation
Planes wouldn’t be able to fly as far. Or you’d need to make the planes bigger to carry the amount of natural gas to fly the same distance.
The fuel tanks would have to be designed to be able to withstand being pressurized versus just holding fuel.
Just random thoughts off the top of my head.
From what I remember, natural gas tankers were mobile floating bombs that we tried to maintain a respectable explosive safety quantity distance from at sea.
The fuel tanks would have to be designed to be able to withstand being pressurized versus just holding fuel.
Just random thoughts off the top of my head.
From what I remember, natural gas tankers were mobile floating bombs that we tried to maintain a respectable explosive safety quantity distance from at sea.
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- GalaxyFlyer
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Re: Natural Gas and Aviation
Done all the time for power generation, generally at peak load demand, not base load. UAE and Qatar use natural gas in GE gensets.
GF
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- jetblueguy22
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Re: Natural Gas and Aviation
I've seen LNG and CNG at work through my employer on our semis. The tanks are HUGE. I can't see how it would be feasible on a large scale.
Look at sweatpants guy. This is a 90 million dollar aircraft, not a Tallahassee strip club
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- dennypayne
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Re: Natural Gas and Aviation
I didn't know about this until the other day when the author Charles Kennedy did a presentation on the Tu-154 at the Airliners International show, but the Soviets created an experimental Tu-155 that flew on liquid natural gas and liquid hydrogen. They had to convert most of the passenger cabin behind the wings to a cryogenic fuel tank. Can't imagine this would have been very cost-effective, but it did fly around 100 test flights.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-155
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-155
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- Armadillo1
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Re: Natural Gas and Aviation
Fresh build gas lines may looks like clmmon with big ballons on each side if wings instead of winglets. And i wonder how winglets can looks if it need to max internal volume in it
Re: Natural Gas and Aviation
If there is a scientific breakthrough and they can find a super-Fungus then ethanol will usurp Mineral Oil as the fuel of choice in planes.
A long way to go there yet though and sugar cane along with palm oil will cause even more virgin forest to be felled.
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2019/0 ... razil.html
A long way to go there yet though and sugar cane along with palm oil will cause even more virgin forest to be felled.
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2019/0 ... razil.html
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- Armadillo1
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Re: Natural Gas and Aviation
Also boeing showed some crasy pictures with hydrogen 747
Re: Natural Gas and Aviation
As it is, tractor-trailers running on LNG and CNG have shorter range than those running on diesel as far as I know, so I'm not sure that really solves anything.
Captain Kevin
Re: Natural Gas and Aviation
Bio fuels are much more likely than LNG. They are more stable, similar to today's Jet/Diesel, and have similar volume to power ratio. The US Navy is currently pushing very hard to become 100% bio for all aviation fuel. That could push the technology to the private sector quicker.
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- stephanwintner
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Re: Natural Gas and Aviation
Dalmd88 wrote:Bio fuels are much more likely than LNG. They are more stable, similar to today's Jet/Diesel, and have similar volume to power ratio. The US Navy is currently pushing very hard to become 100% bio for all aviation fuel. That could push the technology to the private sector quicker.
Really? Link please? Given the US oil industry, I can't see how the Navy got that funding past Congress...
But I agree, biofuels are the obvious alternate to current jet fuels. Far as I know, they truly are drop in, that's been proven - what's lacking so far is scalability, at least in an environmentally friendly fashion. Acres per liter of fuel, or whatever the unit should be, aren't great - so far.
Re: Natural Gas and Aviation
LNG tanks also waste a lot of volume. I think they only get filled to 80% of total volume typically.
As others have said, biofuels are probably the future for aviation fuel. I don't know if future is 10 years or 50 years from now.
As others have said, biofuels are probably the future for aviation fuel. I don't know if future is 10 years or 50 years from now.
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- Pellegrine
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Re: Natural Gas and Aviation
Natural gas can be turned into Kerosene. Qatar exports oil products made using natural gas. The process physically makes the carbon chains longer.
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