# COAL TO LIQUID FUEL FOR AIRCOM Planes



## CougarKing (18 Dec 2006)

I know Coal to Liquid Fuel (CTL) has already been discussed in 3 other threads (at least mentioned) such as "Scary Strategic Problem: No Oil" but I started this one because I wanted a thread that focused specifically on CTL.

Does anyone have idea if Aircom and the rest of the DND is considering alternative fuel sources and testing them?  The corn-based fuel from Brazil- ethanol- would be one option for the LFC's vehicles, but what about a replacement for aviation fuel? Perhaps CTL Fuel could be a viable solution since coal will run out much later than oil will.


Here's an article on CTL, probably already posted before, but reproduced under...you know the drill.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061217/bs_nm/coal_fuel_dc



> Liquid coal: A cheaper, cleaner 21st century fuel? By Steve James
> Sun Dec 17, 1:18 PM ET
> 
> NEW YORK (Reuters) - When railroads ruled, it was the sweating firemen shoveling coal into the furnace who kept the engines running.
> ...



Just something I wanted to discuss further.


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## CougarKing (19 Dec 2006)

Geez, has ANYONE on this board even considered this alternative fuel? AVGAS or JP-8 won't be there forever for Aircom Planes!


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## peaches (19 Dec 2006)

Never Even thought of it, but you make a good point.  However, if we do not fix this AF soon will not matter, on flyable planes to fuel.  I am sure that the issue of future fuel sources has been looked at, I am sure our America buddies are coming up with all kinds of idea deep in the Nevada desert.

I know years age they researched nuclear powered planes.  Should be interesting to see what develops........


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## Scoobs (21 Dec 2006)

The AF does not use AVGAS as a primary fuel in our aircraft (a/c), with the exception of the Air Cadet tow planes and perhaps the SPERWER (anyone know what this uses?).  AVGAS is considered to be an alternative, but is real low on the list since most a/c need some serious inspections after they use this.  JP8 or JP8+100 is the primary fuel for all gas turbine powered a/c in the AF.
Don't know if the CF is testing the coal to liquid fuel stuff, but most likely not.  This type of testing is usually done by other government agencies/departments, such as NRC (saw a GTE that could run on wood there once).  It isn't as simple as putting a new fuel into our a/c and then running them.  The OEM (original equipment manufacturer, engine and airframe) have to first give their approval to use that type of fuel in the a/c.  This usually means they want money to give their approval.  This was the case for the conversion of JP4 to JP8 or JP8+100.


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## Good2Golf (21 Dec 2006)

It seems that JP-900 (the current designation for CTL aviation fuel) is pretty close to JP-8 in performance.  I'd like to see more information on this technology, it does look promising!

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/03/coalbased_jet_f.html

G2G


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## a_majoor (23 Dec 2006)

Actually, this may be a non issue. Converting coal to a liquid fuel (or natural gas, to go the other way) can be tailored to produce almost any hydrocarbon fraction you want. Even if what comes out of the chemical reactor resembles diesel fuel, it can be used as the chemical feedstock to make JP-8 or whatever else is desired. After all, the product from the Tar sands resembles bitumen but is processed into many different hydrocarbon products.

If I understand it correctly, what actually makes a fuel isn't just the predominant hydrocarbon fraction but also the additive package (stabilizers, detergents, emulsifiers etc.) that is also blended in. Converting coal using some variation of the F-T process is only the first step.


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## Good2Golf (23 Dec 2006)

Arthur, quite true.  Actually, JP-8 is a bit closer to diesel than it is to old-school JP-4, hence why it's becoming the common fuel of the future military.  As you note, an additive (+100 in the case of helciopters) is all it takes to make the stuff fully suitable for a wide range of turbine-powered aircraft.

G2G


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## CougarKing (28 Mar 2008)

A USAF B1B bomber flies using synthetic fuel. It's also supposedly more environmentally-friendly.

http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,164467,00.html



> *B-1B Flies Using Synthetic Fuel*
> Air Force Print News | SSgt. Matthew Bates | March 20, 2008
> DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas - A B-1B Lancer from the 9th Bomb Squadron here became the first Air Force aircraft to fly at supersonic speed using an alternate fuel March 19 in a flight over Texas and New Mexico.
> 
> ...


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## a_majoor (28 Mar 2008)

Actually the feedstock seems to be natural gas, but the F-T process can also use coal. I am a bit skeptical about the cost per barrel, and suspect that it may be due to subsidies or exemption from various taxes. Since the F-T and related processes can be applied to different hydrocarbon feedstocks, there is no particular reason that a synthetic fuel plant could not be built to service the tar sands:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer-Tropsch_synthesis



> *U.S. Air Force certification*
> 
> Syntroleum, a publicly traded US company (Nasdaq: SYNM) has produced over 400,000 gallons of diesel and jet fuel from the Fischer-Tropsch process using natural gas and not coal at its demonstration plant near Tulsa, Oklahoma. Syntroleum is working to commercialize its licensed Fischer-Tropsch technology via coal-to-liquid plants in the US, China, and Germany, as well as gas-to-liquid plants internationally. Using natural gas as a feedstock, the ultra-clean, low sulfur fuel has been tested extensively by the US Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, and most recently, Syntroleum has been working with the U. S. Air Force to develop a synthetic jet fuel blend that will help the Air Force to reduce its dependence on imported petroleum. The Air Force, which is the U.S. military's largest user of fuel, began exploring alternative fuel sources in 1999. On December 15, 2006, a B-52 took off from Edwards AFB, California for the first time powered solely by a 50-50 blend of JP-8 and Syntroleum's FT fuel. The seven-hour flight test was considered a success. The goal of the flight test program is to qualify the fuel blend for fleet use on the service's B-52s, and then flight test and qualification on other aircraft.[9]
> 
> ...


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