After automobiles, it is the turn of the aviation industry to look at biofuels for the future needs of aircraft. Biofuels bring down carbondioxide emissions by almost 50 per cent while giving as much as 15 per cent fuel efficiency compared with fossil fuels

Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: After automobiles, it is the turn of the aviation
industry to look at biofuels for the future needs of aircraft.
Biofuels bring down carbondioxide emissions by almost 50 per cent
while giving as much as 15 per cent fuel efficiency compared with
fossil fuels.

The International Air Transport Association has emphasised the need
for use of biofuels in the aviation sector to protect the environment
and prevent global warming and climate change. The aviation industry
contributes two per cent of the world’s manmade carbondioxide
emission. The aviation sector can save up to 80 per cent on fuel costs
if it utilises the potential of biofuels to the fullest.

Jatropha, camelina and marine algae are the rich source of biofuels
and experiments have shown that use of biofuels will result in fuel
consumption in the biofuel engine as compared with the one running on
conventional jet fuel. The IATA, which is participating in the ongoing
India Aviation 2012, has outlined several steps to promote the
successful commercialization of sustainable biofuels.

“Alternative fuels, particularly sustainable biofuels, have been
identified as one of the key elements in helping achieve the goal
(reduction in CO2 emission). Biofuels derived from sustainable oil
crops such as jatropha, camelina and algae or from wood and waste
biomass can reduce the overall carbon footprint by around 80 per cent
over their full lifecycle,” says an IATA document on biofuels.

According to the IATA statement, biofuels test flights carried out by
seven airlines have proven biofuels work and can be mixed with
existing jet fuel. The industry is now working on finalising technical
certification so biofuels can be used for passenger flights.

The British Airways has taken a step ahead to produce fuel from
municipal solid waste. If everything goes on well, in the next couple
of years part of the British Airways fleet will fly on fuels obtained
from municipal sources. It plans to generate 16 million gallons of
green jet fuel every year from municipal waste. The carbondioxide
savings may touch as high as 95 per cent when compared with
traditional fuel.

The aviation industry spent 176 billion US dollars on fuel bill during
2011 and it is expected to increase to 201 billion US dollars. 

Aviation safety track record in Andhra Pradesh

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Sept 5: Andhra Pradesh has better aviation safety track record. It scores 7 out of 10 marks for its safe skies and airports. Of the 455 "safety occurrences"
reported in India since 1942, only eight occurred in Andhra Pradesh. In terms of fatal accidents involving aircraft, the State has recorded only one, 27
years ago, as against 136 in the country.

Four passengers were killed in an air crash involving Indian Airlines on
March 15, 1973. Since then there have been no fatal accidents involving
commercial airlines. This is in contrast to 2802 air deaths in the country in
the last 67 years.

However, there have been several "miraculous escapes" in Andhra Pradesh
and in five cases, the aircraft received so much ground impact that they had
to be declared "beyond repair" and discarded.

But the safety record of helicopters and trainer aircraft is not as
standard or
foolproof as that of the commercial aircraft in the State. In the last seven
years there have been fatal air crashes involving four helicopters, killing 14
people. The victims included Lok Sabha former speaker GMC Balayogi
(March 3, 2003) and chief minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy (September 3,
2009). The State in the recent past recorded half a dozen air fatalities
involving trainer aircraft/helicopter, both civil and defence.

Aviation experts attribute helicopter fatal accidents to its structural
limitations and pilot's limited ability, unlike that of his counterparts in
aircraft. The pilot of a helicopter navigates based on the visibility of the
ground and the electronic gadgets are likely to be affected in case of
lightning
or weather disturbances.

"A helicopter has both advantages and disadvantages. Unlike an aircraft, a
helicopter can be used quite easily to rescue people trapped in areas where an
aeroplane cannot fly or land. It is also handy for airlifting during
floods and
other natural calamities. A helicopter can take off and land
vertically and has
the capability to hover in the air. But the major disadvantage of a helicopter
is that it does not have a powerful engine. Moreover, a helicopter has to
produce both lift and thrust and this puts the engine to work more and thus
faster fuel consumption," says a senior pilot in National Remote Sensing
Centre of ISRO.

According to Capt SN Reddy, chief executive officer of AP Aviation
Academy, "a pilot should be on toes whenever he is flying. It is not advisable
to depend completely on previous experiences since the pilot faces new
challenges every time he or she takes off".

Experts also cite lack of strict discipline among pilots as the major
reason for
the frequent crash of helicopters. During 2008-2009 alone 10 helicopters
crashed in different parts of the country. They allege that several
pilots don't
follow safety norms frequently updated by Directorate General of Civil
Aviation. Many of them ignore even crucial weather bulletins of
meteorological department.

Says Vinod Singel, director of Aerosource (India) private limited, "when we
compare the accident rate involving helicopters in India with that of the USA,
our country rates poor in performance. Human error is the main reason for
accidents and not maintenance of the helicopters.

Helicopter crash is also often blamed on lack of proper coordination among
the meteorological department, the air traffic control and the pilots.
Unlike in
aircraft, a pilot in a helicopter develops a tendency to operate under Visual
Flight Rules rather than Instrument Flight Rules. IFR allows pilots to fly by
just relying on the instrument panels even if they cannot see anything outside
the cockpit windows. The VFR, on the other hand, is used by pilots to fly by
relying on what all they can see from the cockpit.

Referring to US-made Bell 430 helicopter (the one used by Dr Rajasekhar
Reddy), Mohan Guruswamy, former advisor to Union Finance Ministry,
argues that the chopper had been put on the watch-list by the DGCA. He
regrets that these helicopters are in operation with scant regard to DGCA
concerns.

NASA's aircraft technology: A New Idea Takes Wings

July 21, 2008
By Syed Akbar
Air passengers will have a safer, faster and more comfortable journey in the coming days if the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States succeeds in its latest move to develop a superior "wing technology" for aircraft.
NASA is currently evaluating an advanced, fibre optic-based sensing technology that could aid development of active control of wing shape of aircraft. Controlling a wing's shape in flight will allow it to take advantage of aerodynamics and improve the overall efficiency of an aircraft.
According to Gray Creech of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Centre, California, the Fibre Optic Wing Shape Sensor system measures and displays the shape of the aircraft's wings in flight. The system also has potential for improving aircraft safety when the technology is used to monitor the aircraft structure.
Flight tests on NASA's Ikhana, a modified Predator B unmanned aircraft adapted for civilian research, are under way at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Centre at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
"The effort represents one of the first comprehensive flight validations of fibre optic sensor technology. Generations of aircraft and spacecraft could benefit from work with the new sensors if the sensors perform in the sky as they have in the laboratory," Lance Richards, who is leading a NASA group at Dryden's Advanced
Structures and Measurement, said.
The weight reduction that fibre optic sensors would make it possible to reduce operating costs and improve fuel efficiency. The development also opens up new opportunities and applications that would not be achievable with conventional technology. For example, the new sensors could enable adaptive wing-shape control.
Active wing-shape control represents the gleam in the eye of every aerodynamicist. "If the shape of the wing can be changed in flight, then the efficiency and performance of the aircraft can be improved, from takeoff and landing to cruising and manoeuvring," Richards said.
Six hair-like fibres located on the top surface of Ikhana's wings provide more than 2,000 strain measurements in real time. With a combined weight of less than two pounds, the fibres are so small that they have no significant effects on aerodynamics. The sensors eventually could be embedded within composite wings in future aircraft.
To validate the new sensors' accuracy, the research team is comparing results obtained with the fibre optic wing shape sensors against those of 16 traditional strain gauges co-located on the wing alongside the new sensors.
"The sensors on Ikhana are imperceptibly small because they're located on fibres approximately the diameter of a human hair," Richards explained. "You can get the information you need from the thousands of sensors on a few fibres without the weight and complexity of conventional sensors. Strain gauges, for example,
require three copper lead wires for every sensor."
When using the fibre optic sensors, researchers do not require analytical models for determining strain and other measurements on the aircraft because data derived with the sensors include all of the actual measurements being sought.
Another safety-related benefit of the lightweight fibre optic sensors is that thousands of sensors can be left on the aircraft during its lifetime, gathering data on structural health and performance.
By knowing the stress levels at thousands of locations on the aircraft, designers can more optimally design structures and reduce weight while maintaining safety, Richards explained. The net result could be a reduction in fuel costs and an increase in range.
Further, intelligent flight control software technology now being developed can incorporate structural monitoring data from the fibre optic sensors to compensate for stresses on the airframe, helping prevent situations that might otherwise result in a loss of flight control.
By extension, the application of the technology to wind turbines could improve their performance by making their blades more efficient.
An improvement of only a few per cent equals a huge economic benefit. The sensors could also be used to look at the stress of structures, like bridges and dams, and possibilities extend to potential biomedical uses as well. The applications of this
technology are mind-boggling.
NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate is supporting algorithm and systems development, instrument and ground test validation of the new sensor system.

NFC develops titanium half alloy tubes for light combat aircraft

Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: The city-based Nuclear Fuel Complex has developed titanium half alloy tubes for light combat aircraft heralding a new phase in indigenous technology for production of "safety critical components" in the defence sector. Titanium half alloy tubes are difficult-to-manufacture material.
The Aeronautical Development Agency, Bangalore, requires titanium half alloy tubing for application as hydraulic piping used for power transmission in light combat aircraft for Indian Air Force.
"NFC has got rich experience and expertise in processing anisotropic materials such as zirconium and titanium, especially by hot workign coupled with cold working processes. NFC has taken up the challenging task of making these tubes for LCA project," NFC chief executive RN Jayraj observed.
The NFC formally released the product at the "NFC Day" celebrations. The first batch of these tubes were handed over to Aeronautical Development Agency for further compnent level test, leading to airworthiness certification for use in Tejas light combat aircraft.
DRDO chief controller (research and development) Dr Dipankar Banerjee the LCA technology would get the "initial operatational clearance" by 2008 from the Indian Air Force. In the second stage, weapons will be integrated with the aircraft and in the third phase it would be integrated with radar system. Four aircraft are already in use. In the next two years twin seater trainer aircraft will be ready. He said the titanium tubes are used in hydraulic pressure control in aircraft.
The NFC also developed thorium oxide powder for development of certified reference materials. Thorium oxide is going to play a vital role as a major component as fuel for advanced heavy water reactor in the third stage of India's nuclear power programme. In view of the growing importance of thorium oxide in nuclear technology, it was felt essential to develop the product as it is not readily available in the international market for sale, Jayaraj said.

Aviation lubricant: India all set to enter the exclusive club of nations

August 5, 2006
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Aug 4: India is all set to enter the exclusive club of three nations which produce aviation lubricant, a highly strategic material currently imported by the country.
Only the USA, Japan and France produce aviation lubricant, whose technology is kept a closely guarded secret by these nations. City-based Indian Institute of Chemical Technology has successfully produced five litres of aviation lubricant for tests on aviation engines. It will be commercially available from next year.
"Aviation lubricant is a highly strategic material with very stringent technology. It is also a highly guarded technology. It has to function well at both high temperatures of 140 degrees C and low temperatures of minus 40 degrees C," IICT director JS Yadav observed.
He said developing synthetic aviation lubricants indigenously was very important as the exporting countries might bring the entire aviation fleet of an importing country to a grinding halt by simply refusing to sell the product. "The IICT technology will make India self-sufficient in aviation lubricant soon. The Indian Oil Corporation will market the product commercially," he told reporters.
The country now imports 200 tonnes of aviation lubricant worth Rs 100 crore. "We have produced five kgs of lubricant. Our target is to produce 75 kgs in one batch for full testing of the flight engine. We will achieve this next month," Dr Yadav observed.