Performance and Emission Characteristics of a Gas Turbine Engine Burning Soap-Derived Biokerosene/Jet A-1 Blends

There has been an increased interest as regards the use of biofuels in aviation gas turbine engines due to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions along with fluctuating jet fuel prices. This work researches the use of soap-derived biokerosene (SBK) in aircraft engines. SBK is a promising biofuel option for emerging tropical countries as its production requires a relatively simple technology, and its feedstock sources are abundant in these countries. Blends of Jet A-1 with up to 20 vol.% SBK were tested on a 1S/60 Rover gas turbine engine over a range of brake powers to measure engine performance and emissions. The results were then compared to those of pure Jet A-1. It shows that the engine running on SBK/Jet A-1 blends and pure Jet A-1 have almost similar engine performance parameters including engine efficiency, specific fuel consumption (SFC), turbine inlet temperature (TIT), and exhaust gas temperature (EGT). On the other hand, increasing the volume fraction of SBK in the fuel blends with Jet A-1 leads to a slight increase in carbon monoxide (CO) and HC emissions, while insignificant differences in the nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions were found. From this study, some valuable recommendations could be found to improve the feasibility of SBK for use as an alternative aviation fuel.