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Exeter
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Ktulu
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26.08.2008 12:29:51
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Природный газ - это первый шаг. Там много из чего получать топливо хотят
Здравствуйте, уважаемый Ktulu!
Вот свежая статейка об этих испытаниях.
Jane's Defence Weekly
F-15E flies on synthetic fuel blend
Caitlin Harrington JDW Staff Reporter
Washington, DC
The US Air Force's ( USAF's) F-15E Strike Eagle became the first fighter aircraft to flight test a new synthetic fuel blend during trials at Robins Air Force Base (AFB) in Georgia on 19 August.
These tests bring the service a step closer to certifying its entire fleet to fly on a fuel that may one day reduce the service's reliance on foreign oil.
Following President Bush's 2006 State of the Union Address, in which he declared the nation "addicted to oil", the USAF launched an ambitious plan to flight test all its aircraft using a blend of half-synthetic and half-traditional JP-8 jet fuel. The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber was the first to pass the test, followed by the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft. The Rockwell B-1B Lancer bomber aircraft became the first aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds with the fuel mix in March.
Now the F-15E is poised to join the ranks of synthetic fuel-certified aircraft after a flight test that took the fuel to higher altitudes and faster speeds than had previously been achieved.
"50,000 ft and Mach 2 is significantly different from where the envelope of the B-52 or even the B-1 took the fuel, and ensuring it operates at those envelopes is a big step forward for the high-performance fleet in the air force," said Lieutenant Colonel Fritz Heck, Commander of the 339th Flight Test Squadron at Robins AFB.
The F-15 became the first fighter to fly with the synthetic blend by a narrow margin. Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor flight tests are scheduled for the week of 24 August.
Col Heck and other personnel at Robins AFB said they supported the USAF's alternative-fuels programme because it does not seem to affect engine performance and provides a way for the USAF - which spent USD5.8 billion on oil-based jet fuel in 2006, the latest figures available - to wean itself from unreliable oil supplies.
"When [nearly] 70 per cent of our petroleum-based energy is from outside sources, and a lot of those sources don't particularly care for us, it's important to ensure we're independent when it comes to energy," said Col Heck. "If we need to defend the nation, we don't want to have to depend on foreign oil in order to be able to do that ... synthetic fuel we can produce locally reduces that energy reliance on foreign sources and makes us more secure as a nation."
The synthetic fuel being used in the USAF's tests is based on a process that was first used by the Germans in the Second World War. The process, known as Fischer-Tropsch, involves transforming coal, natural gas or other carbon-based materials into a liquid fuel.
In addition to afterburner testing, the pilots also conducted air starts on the fighter's two engines, shutting them down one at a time and then re-starting them in flight.
Major Dan Badia, one of the F-15 test pilots, said he never would have known the fighter was flying on a synthetic blend if no one told him. "There were no noticeable differences," he said. "Hopefully we'll start flying with it."
The USAF has set a goal of certifying its entire fleet to fly on the 50:50 blend by 2011. Jeffrey Braun, director of the USAF's Alternative Fuels Certification Office, said the service remains on schedule to meet the deadline.
Less certain is whether the USAF can reach its 2016 goal to see synthetic fuel account for 25 per cent of all jet fuel purchased for operations in the continental United States.
Today synthetic fuel is slightly more expensive than JP-8, leaving many energy companies uncertain - at least for now - about whether producing synthetic fuel is a profitable investment. The price could go down, however, if the demand for so-called 'synfuel' increases as the USAF buys more of it and other private businesses become interested in purchasing the fuel.
Ramping up the USAF's synthetic fuel use could be a challenge, however, because the service's long-term agenda for alternative energy initiatives is in a state of flux. As with many other programmes across the Bush administration, its future is uncertain because of the pending arrival of a new president with a new agenda. The outgoing head of the USAF's alternative initiatives, William Anderson, announced in late July that he would resign, citing differences with Pentagon leaders.
С уважением, Exeter.