AeroG-LAETA - Associate Laboratory of Energy, Transports and Aeronautics
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The Aeronautics and Astronautics Research Center (AeroG) is dedicated to the research and technology development in the field of Aeronautics and Space, with a view to improving safety and environmental protection, while promoting the socioeconomic growth and the quality of life of citizens. The activities of the AeroG aim at contributing to strengthen the excellence of European science base in the scientific and technological fields of aeronautics and astronautics.
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Browsing AeroG-LAETA - Associate Laboratory of Energy, Transports and Aeronautics by Author "Abrantes, Ivo"
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- Sustainable aviation fuels and imminent technologies - CO2 emissions evolution towards 2050Publication . Abrantes, Ivo; Ferreira, Aana F.; Silva, André; Costa, MárioNowadays, concerns about rising emissions and climate change have raised the issue of decarbonization. Several approaches have been promoted in the aeronautical sector to reduce CO2 emissions. The present work provides quantitative data to support decision-making for the first pillar of International Air Transport Association (IATA) strategy to mitigate aviation climate impact. This strategy comprises improving aircraft technology and deploying sustainable low-carbon fuels. The most promising technologies for an imminent application are new engine architecture and natural laminar flow. On the other hand, efforts have been put to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) reaching the point where some methods for the production of alternative jet fuel are already approved by ASTM. Therefore, the present work quantifies the future reduction of CO2 emissions by 2050 in the aeronautical sector with these strategies. For this purpose, two methodologies are used, a numerical model to calculate fuel consumption and CO2 emissions from the global air transport fleet. For the SAF analysis, it is developed an approach that considers, besides the SAF production, the feedstocks, and the production pathway. Two cases and three scenarios represent the technological improvements and quantify the effects of new aircraft concepts and technologies on future CO2 emissions. For the SAF analysis, four scenarios and two conditions assess the different production capacities and feedstocks. The combined effect of technologies with SAF is considered verifying if the goals proposed by IATA, carbon-neutral growth from 2020, and a reduction of 50% in net emissions by 2050 compared to 2005 levels are achieved. The assessment results reveal that the goals cannot be met only with the combined action of imminent aircraft technologies and the use of alternative fuels. Carbon-neutral growth is only reached when it is considered the combined effect of technologies with the scenario where the amount of SAF introduced is higher (an increase of 15% annually between 2030 and 2050). However, this carbon-neutral growth is only possible to start in 2040. Imminent aircraft technologies can reduce up to 15% in CO2 emissions when compared to the Business as Usual scenario. The different feedstocks used in each process to produce SAF do not have a considerable impact on reducing CO2 emissions, the maximum difference registered between each condition was 1.47%.
- The impact of revolutionary aircraft designs on global aviation emissionsPublication . Abrantes, Ivo; Ferreira, Ana F.; Magalhães, Leandro; Costa, Mário; Silva, AndréThe discussion about the environmental impact caused by aviation has gained greater prominence due to the increased demand for this sector and, consequently, the increase in the number of flights. Environmental concerns have stimulated the development of novel approaches to reduce pollutants and CO2 emissions. This study aims to assess the impact of disruptive concepts on commercial aircraft by reducing CO2 emissions by 50% by 2050. In this regard the fleet system dynamics model is used to assess the effects of technological progress on future air transport systems. It accounts for the manufacturer’s production capabilities and current projections and forecasts on the needs and evolution of global air transport, as well as their expected entry into service. The main factors reported were production capacity, year of entry of the technology/concept, and the transport capacity and range of aircraft. The sensitivity study on the production capacity of new aircraft/concepts showed that with a 15% increase, emissions can be reduced between 1 and 2.6%, depending on the case and scenario. On the other hand, increasing the aircraft production capacity could lead to a problem of overcapacity.