James Herringer - RMIT and Airbus Fly Your Ideas Competition
James inroduced his team of undergraduate and postgraduate students at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) who are exploring the feasibility of replacing conventional jet fuel with liquid methane for commercial aircraft. Supported by academics within RMIT University, School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SAMME), the project was selected for further development in the 2013 Airbus “Fly Your Ideas” Competition.
Airbus Fly Your Ideas
The Airbus Fly Your Ideas Competition is an international competition challenging university students to develop innovative solutions to current issues in the aviation sector. In 2013, Round 1 included over 6000 students and 618 teams worldwide – 102 of which, including us, were selected to progress to Round 2.
Project Goal
Our aim is to catalyse interest across the aviation and gas industry in the idea that liquid methane fuels (liquidified natural gas and biogas derived methane) will provide a pragmatic alternative to kerosene for fuelling commercial transport aircraft over the next 50 years.
Rationale
There are several reasons why liquid methane is a superior fuel for commercial aviation. Liquid methane is cheaper than kerosene at around a third of the cost while burning cleaner, directly reducing CO2 emissions by 20% as well as offering significant reductions in NOx. Compared to kerosene, liquid methane produces higher specific energy, allowing longer range flight with the same amount of fuel.
Liquid methane is more engine-friendly than plant-derived biofuels that leave damaging residue on engine components. Since liquid methane can be economically produced from biogas, it is considered to be as renewable as biofuels. Looking further into the future, liquid methane is cheaper and easier to store than liquid hydrogen – hence it is more accessible in the near and medium term and provides a suitable bridging path to hydrogen, or some other future solution.
Use of liquid methane is already successfully implemented in both automotive and maritime applications globally, suggesting vast potential in the aviation industry. Introduction of liquid methane as an alternative fuel for aviation will create employment opportunities and bring further innovation to the sector.
Australia is predicted to become the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer by 2017. LNG is predominantly comprised of methane. Hence, Australia could become a major stakeholder in the potential use of LNG in commercial aviation
Opportunities
Using liquid methane as an alternative fuel is a timely idea that warrants urgent attention within the aviation industry. Our goal is to create a platform for constructive exchange of ideas, resources and knowhow in order to verify that liquid methane is an excellent solution to mitigate growing economic and environmental concerns within the sector. We genuinely believe that our project could catalyse a revolutionary opportunity in infrastructure changes, sustaining aircraft operations deep into the 21st Century