Edwards tests alternative jet engine fuel

Published Sept. 20, 2006
By Staff Sgt. Mark Woodbury
95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Another aviation first was accomplished when a B-52 flew here using an alternative fuel Sept. 19.

The flight test ran two of a B-52's engines on a synthetic fuel, made from a 50-50 blend of traditional crude-oil based fuel and a Fischer-Tropsch fuel derived from natural gas, while the remaining six engines ran on traditional JP-8 jet fuel.

Undersecretary of the Air Force Dr. Ronald M. Sega personally observed the mission as a crewmember and said the test was a step in the right direction toward conservation.

"This test sets the stage for a more comprehensive plan the Air Force has toward conservation," he said. "This test fits into this overall vision and is the first step in a long process for looking at the viability of alternative fuels."

"This is just one of many alternative fuels the Air Force is looking into," said Maj. Gen. Curtis Bedke, Air Force Flight Test Center commander. "This test is aiding in creating options and alternatives to our current fuel."

From what Dr. Sega said he could see during the flight, the synthetic fuel engine performed as well as the other engines running traditional fuel but is still waiting for final test results, which will be reported after all the test points are acquired and analyzed.

If this alternative fuel test proves to be a success, the next step will be to perform an eight engine test using the fuel in a few months, General Bedke said.

Before manned flight was attempted here, the fuel was tested to see how it reacted to aircraft parts. The fuel was placed into a T-63 engine where it underwent 130 hours of fuel tests.

One of the engines was then taken off of the B-52 and sent to Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., where it went through a 50-hour continuous alternative fuel run. The engine was reinstalled into the B-52 and ground tests were performed before the flight.

After going through its needed testing here, the alternative fuel housed in the fuel tanks of the B-52 is scheduled to undergo cold-weather testing in January or February.

Although the Fischer-Tropsch fuel demonstration flight was successfully completed, it was cut short due to a mechanical issue with the left wing-tip landing gear unrelated to the alternative fuel test. The aircraft landed safely without incident.