Research projects - Environmental Protection

Detailed description:

The objective of this specific contract was to design and manufacture a sampling system for measurement of particulate matter at the exhaust of large-scale gas turbine aircraft engines in support of the development of a non-volatile particulate matter (PM) certification requirement. The purpose was to test the feasibility of using a defined sampling system to reinforce the robustness of PM emissions measurements.

In order to deliver the aforementioned objective it was necessary to perform various tasks. These included characterisation of Volatile Particle Removers (VPR) efficiency; design and manufacture of a defined sampling system able to measure PM mass and number; full-scale gas turbine engine non-certification testing and where possible the inclusion of certification engine testing; and an uncertainty analysis of the sampling system design.

Detailed description:

The key objective of the SAMPLE II Study was to quantify the effects of the sample transport system on particulate matter from the exhaust of an aircraft engine to the measurement instruments. To achieve this a series of experiments were undertaken, each designed to produce realistic, quantifiable and reproducible conditions that may be used to test the particulate emissions in terms of number, size and mass from gas turbine engine exhausts. A first series of tests were conducted at the exhaust of a hot end simulator simulating aircraft engine particulate emissions. These measurements were completed with large modern engine tests.

The report details the methods, results and conclusions that are used within the SAE E-31 Particulate Matter subcommittee responsible for the drafting of the ARP on mass and number measurements of non-volatile particulate matter. This ARP is needed to provide the Committee on Aviation and Environmental Protection (CAEP) within ICAO with a particulate matter certification requirement.

Detailed description:

The key objective of the SAVE Study was to update the AERO Modelling System which had been developed between 1994-2000 to primarily assess the effect of market based measures on global aircraft engine emissions. As part of the SAVE project, all model inputs were updated from 1992 and brought in line with the new Base Year of 2006. The EUROCONTROL WISDOM Operations Database is used as a basis for the AERO-MS Unified Database which contains a detailed record of aviation movements. For 2006, the Unified Database records 123,025 airport-pairs with 33.1 million civil flights. Airline cost and fare data were updated using IATA and ICAO data. The update of aircraft type input data was based on fleet inventory properties from the EUROCONTROL PRISME Fleet 2, OAG Fleet Databases, ICAO emissions databank as well as the FESG retirement curves. EUROCONTROL BADA data was used for the specification of aircraft operational characteristics.

The calibration process aimed to have the updated AERO-MS produce the correct outputs for the Base Year in various categories such as air transport demand; airline operating costs; revenues and operating result; airline employment; aviation fuel burn and emissions; and aircraft fleet size and composition. The testing of various policy options were also performed to verify the proper functioning of the updated AERO-MS, and as an illustration of its analysis capabilities.

Detailed description:

The objective of the work was to investigate the reduction of sulphur limits in aviation fuel by assessing and where possible quantifying the impact in various areas.

These investigations covered global and local environmental effects including the impact upon human mortality; the effect of a reduction in specification limits on global fuel production; the effect of low sulphur fuel on aircraft gas turbine engines and aircraft fuel systems; the operational effects of aircraft; and a comparison with fuel sulphur reduction in other transport sectors.

Detailed description:

The objective of this study was to obtain factual data on existing background noise levels and on actual noise levels of 'classical' aircraft en-route in Europe and elsewhere. Such data is needed as studies are done on supersonic business jets and the so called 'open rotor' engines. They have a common factor in that they will potentially create non negligible noise levels on the ground, not only when flying in the terminal area around airports but also while the aircraft are climbing, cruising and descending at distance from airports (referred to as "en-route noise"). If aircraft with such technology would be numerous, this could mean that aircraft noise might be audible almost everywhere. In order to inform the political discussion and the regulatory impact assessment, it is necessary to put the noise levels of the new technologies in perspective with the current situation.

Detailed description:

The objective of this study was to perform a preliminary assessment of methods for measuring particle mass concentration and composition, particle number concentration and particle size distribution. These methods were tested and evaluated under real conditions with respect to their applicability for aircraft engine exhaust emissions certification applications.

The work was performed using the Combustor – Hot End Simulator test rig which was initially developed during the European FP5 programme PARTEMIS. This test rig served as a stable aircraft engine simulator providing particles of physical-chemical properties similar to real aircraft engines. The operating conditions were designed such that the physico-chemical properties of the generated combustion aerosol covered the widest possible range from low smoke emissions associated with high organic matter emissions to high smoke emissions associated with low organic matter emissions.

Detailed description:

The European Commission issued a contract to EUROCONTROL in December 2007, following a request for support, to develop a European regional noise model, with technical support from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA). The objective of the project, known as STAPES, was to develop a multi-airport noise model capable of providing valuable input into both European and international policy-making assessments, in particular ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP).

In line with the planned schedule, a first version of the STAPES model was developed and delivered in October 2008 and is compliant with the best practice modelling guidance provided by both ECAC Doc. 29 3rd Edition1 and ICAO Document 99112. A thorough validation and verification (V&V) process was carefully applied to the model and STAPES was finally endorsed by the CAEP Steering Group at its meeting in June 2009 for use within ICAO CAEP policy assessments.

Detailed description:

The aim of the EEMA study was to further develop European economic and environmental modelling capabilities in aviation environmental policy and rulemaking. Modelling in this context meant the assessment of aviation's environmental impact and the associated costs. There is significant existing modelling capability in Europe in the form of individual models, addressing individual aspects of noise, emissions, impacts and economics. These models have evolved in relative isolation, and as such, there was a need to develop common interfaces such that the models could work together and perform comparable assessments which are able to identify environmental trade-offs from proposed policy options.

The EEMA project developed a prototype basic modelling system, based on an analysis of potential European policy options. This included a data warehouse concept to link modelling capability such that common data could be shared by otherwise incompatible models. This prototype system was successfully subjected to a practical demonstration, in which modelling a change in an aircraft engine NOx emission regulation was simulated using the data warehouse and a set of of European models.