Air force soars toward alternative fuel goals."The Air Force is taking a leadership role in testing and certifying the use of synthetic fuel Synthetic fuel or synfuel is any liquid fuel obtained from coal, natural gas, or biomass. It can sometimes refer to fuels derived from other solids such as oil shale, tar sand, waste plastics, or from the fermentation of biomatter. in aircraft," said Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne Michael W. Wynne is the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C., U.S.. Biography Born in Clearwater, Florida and raised in Melbourne, Florida.[1] Younger brother of 1st Lt. . In yet another first in aviation history, a B-IB Lancer from Dyess Air Force Base Dyess AFB (IATA: DYS, ICAO: KDYS, FAA LID: DYS) is a military airport located five miles (8 km) southwest of the central business district (CBD) of Abilene, a city in Taylor County, Texas, USA. , Texas, flew at supersonic speed supersonic speed: see aerodynamics. over Texas and New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). using alternate fuel on March 19. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To date, the Air Force has successfully completed test flights on three airframes using a 50/50 blend of traditional JP-8 jet fuel and synthetic fuel, certifying operational use of the fuel in the B-52H Stratofortress last August. In December, a C-17 Globemaster III, using the synthetic fuel blend, completed a transcontinental flight Transcontinental flight is travelling by air from the Atlantic Ocean coast to the Pacific Ocean coast, or in the reverse. The first transcontinental flight was made by Calbraith Perry Rodgers to win the prize offered by publisher William Randolph Hearst. from McChord AFB AFB abbr. acid-fast bacillus AFB Acid-fast bacillus, also 1. Aflatoxin B 2. Aorto-femoral bypass , WA, to McGuire AFB, NJ. The fuel blend is being tested as part of an ongoing Air Force program to help the environment and use domestically-produced fuel. Using the Fischer-Tropsch process--which converts carbon-based materials into synthetic fuel--Air Force officials plan to evaluate and certify this alternative fuel for use in all Air Force air-craft by 2011. Within the federal government, the Air Force is the single largest user of aviation fuel, using an estimated 3 billion gallons per year. Each time the price of oil goes up $10 per barrel, it costs the Air Force an additional $610 million for fuel. The Fischer-Tropsch process Fischer-Tropsch process (fĭsh`ər-trōpsh), method for the synthesis of hydrocarbons and other aliphatic compounds. Synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, is reacted in the presence of an iron or cobalt catalyst; much gives the Air Force a cleaner, more cost-efficient fuel source. Synthetic fuel created using the Fischer-Tropsch process costs an estimated $30 to $50 less per barrel than its petroleum counterpart. Still, saving money is not the only reason the Air Force is looking to use synthetic fuel. Synthetic fuel has potential to reduce the United States' dependency on foreign energy sources. "It causes angst to know that we're faced with a commodity that some might use against us," Secretary Wynne said during the B-52 Fischer-Tropsch certification ceremony at Edwards AFB, CA. "We want to provide our nation a look forward to something else and essentially join with numerous researchers who are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. alternatives ... and find the solution." Finding a cleaner alternative for the environment is also a major driver for the Air Force to certify the Fischer-Tropsch fuel blend in Verb 1. blend in - blend or harmonize; "This flavor will blend with those in your dish"; "This sofa won't go with the chairs" blend, go fit, go - be the right size or shape; fit correctly or as desired; "This piece won't fit into the puzzle" all airframes. German chemists Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch developed the method at the Kaiser Will hem Institute during the 1920s. "Essentially, using a number of chemicals and catalysts, what [chemists Fischer and Tropsch] were able to do was to reproduce in a laboratory what it takes the earth millions of years to do with organic matter," said Dr. Don Erbschloe, chief scientist at Air Mobility Command in Illinois. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Alternative fuels can be produced from domestically available hydrocarbon products like natural gas, coal, and shale and then gasified gas·i·fy tr. & intr.v. gas·i·fied, gas·i·fy·ing, gas·i·fies To convert into or become gas. gas and converted into any number of liquid fuel products. The Fischer-Tropsch process produces a complex "organic soup" very much like petroleum that has the potential to burn cleaner than JP-8, reducing combustion-related emissions and particulates in the air, Dr. Erbschloe said. Furthermore, pilots who flew the aircraft during test flights reported no notable differences between flying with the synthetic fuel blend and traditional jet fuel. "This is the tip of the spear for national energy independence and cleaner energy," Secretary Wynne said. "It is doing well for the Air Force and the nation." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Staff Sgt. Matthew Bates, Air Force News Agency; Roger Drinnon, Air Mobility Command Public Affairs; Senior Airman Jason Hernandez, 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs; and the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB, contributed to this article. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A -B 52 Stratofortress.,, like these shown, powered by a mix of syntbetic fuel arrived at Minot AFB.ND, January 17'for cold weather testing. This is the last step in the testing and certification process to help reduce Air Force dependence on imparted fuel. (USAF photo! Airman 1st Class Christopher Boitz) A C-17 Globemaster III flies over New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. after completing the first transcontinental flight on synthetic fuel on December 17. The C-17 took off before dawn from McChord Air Force Base McChord Air Force Base (IATA: TCM, ICAO: KTCM) is a United States Air Force base in Pierce County, Washington. As of the 2000 census, it had a total population of 4,096. , WA, and landed in the early afternoon at McGuire AFB, NJ. (USAF photo) A B-52 Stratofortress accelerates down the runway at Edwards AFB, CA, December 15 during take-off far a flight-test Hussion using a blend of 'synthetic fuel and JP-8 in all eight engines. This is the first time a B-52 has flown using a synfuel-blend as the only fuel on board. In September, the Air Force successfully flew a B-52 with two engines using the syufnel-blend while the others used standard fuel. The B- 52 test flights at Edwards are the initial steps in the Air Force process to test and certify a synthetic blend of fuel for its aviation fleet. (USAF photo/Jet Fabara) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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