FLY LNG: LNG as Aviation Fuel

FLY LNG
2014
selim.stahl@sp.se

OVERVIEW
Why fly with LNG
Historical background
Technical overview and issues
Price aspects
Safety aspects
Environmental aspects
Energy Dematerialisation mega trend
Act now – Decision requested

The target is:
To achieve afordable air transport for everyone with no harm to people or the environment.
The target

Air Traffic and Air Pollution
2% of global manmade CO2 emissions but
13% of transport sector emissions

History
1912 first LNG plant in West Virginia
1988 LNG powered airplane Tu-155
1998 first LNG powered heavy duty truck
2000 first LNG powered boat
2012 LNG powered SUGAR Freeze Boeing
concept plane
2013 first LNG powered locomotive

FLY LNG possible proposals:
Project within HORIZON 2020 targeted at
”Smart, green and integrated transport”
Comprehensive systems analysis to provide
decision basis for future gas fuels for air
transport
Covers configuration, System & Components,
Propulsion, Safety, Environmental impact, gas
sources & infrastructure, Transition to even
cleaner tech.
Partners from Industry, Research and
Academia from several European countries
Project within the Swedish knowledge centre
for renewable transportation fuel, f3 (Fossil
Free Fuels) with BioLNG from Biogas or
BioSNG (cf. Gobigas)

LNG vs Kerosene characteristics
JET
LNG
53.6 MJ42.8 MJ
1 kg
JET
LNG
0.045 L0.03 L
1 MJ
• LNG offers a higher energy content per mass.
Better payload or range increase for aircraft
• Cleaner fuel
• LNG temperature is −162 °C
• LNG needs:
- 1.5 greater volume than kerosene
- Very good insulation of tanks, pipes…
- Tanks under some differential pressure
- Spherical or cylindrical tanks

LNG short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners reservoirs configurations: less cargo & same cabin
size
E195 CSERIES
26,020 L
44 m3
Original fuel tank
Original cargo
39,000 L
30 m3 Cargo with LNG tank
LNG needed
Max full LNG tank weight13,877 kg
Superjet 100

Minimum change LNG tank configurations
Fuel System: Tanks, Pipes, Valves, Pumps,
Vents
Fuel Control System: Sensors, Control Box
Fire Protection: Sensors, Ventilation, Control
Box
Airframe: Tank support, local fuselage
strenghtening.
Jet engine: High Pressure pump, Heat
Exchanger, Fuel Flow Control Valve,
Combustion Chamber, Control Box, Oil cooler

A turbofan is a GAS turbine. It is LNG-ready.
Jet fuel for Aviation sector Natural Gas for Power sector

C-130 Turboprop LNG + Jet A delivery system

Jet Fuel $25/MMBTU vs $8/MMBTU
for LNG
Natural Gas Market: is slowly being freed from
the oil market
BioSNG COP: ~$17/MMBTU
Extra costs: cost of LNG propelled aircraft is ~15%
higher than that of a conventional aircraft.
Total savings: up to 14% on fuel expenses for
subsonic flights

Jet Fuel $25/MMBTU vs $8/MMBTU for
LNG
Stockholm-Londonin 2hours 35
min
Return ticket at less than $100

General LNG safety
• Psychological problem mainly
• LNG is not explosive and can not burn. For
LNG to burn, it must first vaporize, then
mix with air in the proper proportions and
then be ignited
• Low heat radiation
• LNG burns smoke-free
Practical Experience
• Large scale test over decades
• Worst case tests for aircraft successful
• Side-by-side tests prove clear safety
advantage of LNG vs. jet fuel
• Excellent safety record for LNG related
tanks/tank trailers/LNG installations

Emissions (*fuel masses of equal energy content)
0.79 kg LNG
3.16 kg CO2, 1.24 kg
H2O, CO, Soot, NOx,
SO2, Unburned
hydrocarbon,11.2 kg
N2 , Air
- 20 % CO2 reduction
- 60 % NOx reduction
- 90% SOx reduction
- 70 % Soot reduction

Life Cycle Assessment Emissions LNG vs. Jet Fuel
• -3 % (- 70%) CO2
reduction (Biogas)
• +8.4 % NOx increase
• -96% SOx reduction
• -34.6% PM2.5 reduction

Jet Fuel < LPG < LNG < LH2 < e-

Infrastructure
LNG bunkering is a reality
By truck, barge or direct piping
City Changes Monitoring and Previsions
52,000 L LNG trailer:

SP Gas Services
— A part of SP's long-term investment in fuels research
 Metering of LNG
 Analysis of natural gas & biogas composition and density
 Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment
of alternative fuels like LNG, BioLNG, BioSNG etc
 Fire Safety Analysis of LNG refueling systems
 Gas explosion analysis and FLIR Camera leak detection
 Accredited CO2 emissions verification from aircrafts and
airports

TECHNICAL AREAS
Concrete and stoneFire Research
Certification
Glass
Electronics
Energy Technology
Chemistry, Materials
and Surfaces
Food and
Biotechnology
Calibration and
Verifications
Measurement
Technology
Wood Technology
Process
Development
Active Safety
Structural
and Solid
Mechanics Machinery
Testing and
Inspection
Agriculture and
environment
Bioeconomy

ETX fokusområden – centrala ämnen hos oss och relevant till (Bio)LNG
BIOEKONOMI HÅLLBARA STÄDER
Hållbar
konsumtion
Stads-och
samhällsplanering
Life cycle management
Tjänsteinnovation
Smarta nät
Living labs
Markanvändning
Bioraffinaderi
Grönkemi
Biodrivmedel
Innovationsupphandling
Vård
processledning
bioresurser

LNG is cheaper, safer and greener than kerosene. Higher and unpredictable kerosene prices are the
main reasons for most of airlines recent bankruptcies. LNG can be produced from a wide variety of
resources like agricultural waste (biogas), wood biomass (bioSNG) and conventional fossil fuels
(natural gas, shale gas, coalbed methane or gasified coal). All the other transport sectors have
embraced it: trucks, trains, boats…it is time for the air transport to move forward after 70 years of
kerosene domination !
CONCLUSION: FLY-or-DIE

Work Packages
1 Distribution and filling
Ensuring standardised distribution
and filling of LNG as jet fuel using
BAT
4 LNG Properties
The purpose of this work package is to:
• Evaluate materials compatibility with LNG (rubbers, plastics,
metals, composites).
• Determine LNG minimum quality to insure turbofan and APU
durability, covering LNG composition / properties and all the test
methods for these purposes
• Contact with existing ISO working group
• Determine turbofan jetfuel quality for using LNG as jetfuel
5 Aircraft Procurement
Within this work package the efforts are concentrated
around development of:
• Building of Field test aircraft
• Retrofit LNG turbofan
• Retrofit LNG combustion system
• IATA air emissions compliant
• New LNG tank and feed system
3 Aircraft field test
Within the flyLNG project, a field test of 1 aircraft
fuelled by LNG is performed together with
selected airlines.
2 Life Cycle Cost analysis and Life
Cycle Assessment
Assessing the cost of LNG fueled
aircraft vs jet fuel on the aircraft
lifecycle. Assessing the environmental
impact of LNG as jetfuel

CONVENTIONAL DESIGN: cargo space used for extra LNG volume

Here 42548 Liters total and 61% in the body 39% in the wings
FUEL DISTRIBUTION IN AIRPLANES
In the A320 the centre-wing-fuselage box tank carries 6341 kg, whereas the wings carry
12053 kg, so about 34% is in the fuselage

REAL CASE SCENARIO
Ex: Oslo-Stockholm with Norwegian ASA B737-800
5 A/R per day 1hr flight = 10 x 2470 L = 24 700 L/day of jet fuel
This is 37 050 Liters of LNG per day wich means the plane would have to refuel only
once per day in Oslo or Stockholm since the expected LNG tank would have a
capacity of 39 000 Liters.
This is 13 523 250 Liters of LNG per years for this route

LNG for long range business jet: same body & same cabin size + fuel costs savings
Falcon 8X

At some airports, underground fuel pipes
allow refueling without the need for tank
trucks. Trucks just carry the necessary
hoses and pressure apparatus, but no fuel.
FUTURE SCENARIO: Cryogenic pipelines
Cryogenic pipeline by TOTAL

Jet Fuel $25/MMBTU vs $8/MMBTU
for LNG
Shanghai-LAXin 4hours 50 min
Return ticket at $1600

LNG unconventional plane configurations

LNG, Adsorbed Nnatural Gas (ANG) and Ccompressed Natural Gas
(CNG) plane reservoirs configurations

Minimum change LNG tank configurations
Fuel System: Tanks, Pipes, Valves, Pumps,
Vents
Fuel Control System: Sensors, Control Box
Fire Protection: Sensors, Ventilation, Control
Box
Airframe: Tank support, local fuselage
strenghtening , fairing fuselage strentch to
accomodate increased tank volume,
strenghtening of wing structure
Jet engine: High Pressure pump, Heat
Exchanger, Fuel Flow Control Valve,
Combustion Chamber, Control Box, Oil cooler

Existing aircraft LNG tank configurations

N709PA, TWA 800 => inerting system
With LNG it is not sure inerting system with O2/N2 membrane is
needed since the air-CH4 flamability/explosions limits are much
lower than air/jetfuel ones

LNG price at the pump: $16.5/MMBtu

FLY LNG
2014
Bombardier-Skangass meeting. August 4th, 2014 selim.stahl@sp.se

OM SP
SP-koncernen ägs till 100% RISE
Dotterbolag 10
Anställda 1300
Omsättning 1 335 MSEK
Kunder Fler än 10 000
FORSKNING OCH VETENSKAP
Forskarutbildade 345
Forskarstuderande 80-tal
Professorer 27
Deltagande i EU-projekt 100-tal

AFFÄRSOMRÅDEN
 Energi
 IKT, Informations- och Kommunikationsteknik
 Life Science
 Risk och säkerhet
 Samhällsbyggnad
 Transport

SP Gas Services
 Metering of LNG
 Analysis of natural gas & biogas composition and density
of alternative fuels like LNG, BioLNG, BioSNG etc
 Life Cycle Cost analysis of LNG vs jetfuel
airports

FLY LNG goals: 2015 Gap Analysis report + LNG fuelled short-haul aircraft flying by 2020
Questions/Timeframe Q2 2015 Q3 2015 End of 2015
Question 1 Is it feasible with BAT ? Yes/No ? Why ? (Standards Gap
Analysis)
Question 2 Is it safe/can it be
certified ?
Yes/No ? How much safer ?
Question 3 Is it cheaper ? Yes/No ? How much cheaper ?
Question 4 Is it greener ? Yes/No ? How much greener

Example of Project Structure
Aircraft
Manufacturer
Turbofan
Supplier
LNG tank
manufacturer
Research &
Standardization
LNG distributor
Operator/Airline
Partners
Leading Partners
Group II:
Oil & Gas Companies
and Aircraft Owners
Group I:
Suppliers, Consultants, Learning
& Regulatory Bodies,
Research Institutes & Universities
Group III:
Governmental Bodies,
National Institutes, Banks, etc
Participants

Road vs Air vehicules CO2 emissions monitoring
Road transport
Certified CO2 levels Tests and
driving cycle defined and
regulated
Divergence
2013 fuel-economy figures 38%
worse than those advertised on
average
Air transport
No Certified CO2 levels Tests and
operating cycle NOT defined and
NOT regulated
Divergence
XX% worse than those advertised
on average ?

Maybe a need of similar plan for airplanes (speed vs well-to-wing efficiency)

SP Gas Services
 Metering of LNG
 Analysis of natural gas composition and density
of LNG vs jetfuel
 Life Cycle Cost analysis of LNG vs jetfuel
 Noise and Vibration test and calibration of LNG vs jetfuel
turbofan
airports

Accidents, plane disappearance or pilots strike, the airline industry has been under
the spotlight in recent months.
What challenges are waiting for this growing but vulnerable sector? Who will be the
passengers of tomorrow? What will be the fuel of tomorrow ?

The air transport revolution
Although the first commercial flight took place in 1914, it was after the Second World War that the
development of commercial air transport on a large scale really started. In 1950, it takes a week to connect
the Havre to New York by boat, against only twenty hours by air, with stopovers. In 1960, with the arrival of
commercial jets, the time of this trip become eight hours.

The increase of the number of passengers
We witness a surge in the number of passengers. In 1950, the planet has 2.5 billion people and 31 million
passengers use aircrafts that year, excluding China and the USSR. In 2032, it is estimated that there will be 8.5
billion people on our planet and nearly 7 billion passengers flown, this is a doubling of global air traffic compared
to today. Why such growth in air travel?

World population growth
One of the key factors in the development of commercial air transport is of course population growth: between
2012 and 2032, the world population will increase from 7 to 8.5 billion. But this growth will not affect all regions
equally. We can see on this map that will be particularly strong in the Asia-Pacific region and Africa. It is in these
areas that the number of passengers is expected to increase the most.

The development of middle classes
Finally, economic growth and rising purchasing power allow a growing number of people to buy an airline ticket
and travel. This phenomenon is illustrated in particular in the development of the middle class which we see the
evolution on the map between 2012 and 2032. It can be seen from this graph that the share of the middle class in
the Asia-Pacific region increases considerably in the world total.

The main airports in 2032
Thus, by correlating economic growth, ticket price and demography it is understood that the airline industry will
grow but unevenly between regions. The number of passengers will increase particularly in emerging markets and
will result in the emergence of new major airports in these countries, including Brazil, China, India and South
Africa, as seen on the map.

The competition from the gulf and asia
The increase in passenger numbers in emerging countries has a significant impact on the airline industry.
Traditional airlines like Air France and British Airways, have to compete with companies from emerging countries
(China Eastern, China Southern) but also by companies from the Gulf . In the Arabian Peninsula, the development
of these companies was largely supported by their home states, which have taken advantage of their location on
the routes between Europe, Africa and Asia.

Saturated air space
Understandably, air transport is a growing industry but it is also fragile. Its development has led to an increase in
air traffic, up to saturation. This is the case in Europe, where congestion costs for 2005 were estimated at about 6
billion for the airlines. According to Airbus estimates, nearly 6,000 additional aircraft will be delivered to European
companies in 2030 to meet rising passenger numbers.

Dependence on oil and pollution
Among other factors of fragility, there is also the rising price of oil, the airline industry is highly dependent on, but
also pollution. A plane emits 118 grams of CO2 per kilometer per passenger, almost as much as a conventional
car, but nine times more than a high speed train.

Conflicts, attacks and hostages crisis
The airline industry may also be disrupted by conflicts, as in 1994 during the hostage crisis by an Islamist group
on the Air France flight Paris-Algiers, in 2001 in the attacks of September 11 in the US, or more recently, in July
2014, when a plane of Malaysia Airlines was shot in Ukraine as the country was in civil war. Nevertheless, flying
remains one of the safest modes of transport.

The Islandic volcano episode
In April 2010, an Icelandic volcano erupts and put ash clouds in European airspace, causing a disruption of air
traffic in Europe. You see on this map the countries where airspace was completely closed during this crisis. The
eruption of the volcano has had a negative impact on the aviation sector but also on tourism, trade and
productivity of countries. According to Oxford Economics, the eruption caused a loss of 5 billion to global GDP.

Jet Fuel $25/MMBTU vs $80/boe
for GCH2
Shanghai-LAXin 4hours 50 min
Return ticket at $1600

FLY LNG: LNG as Aviation Fuel

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