https://media.defense.gov/2022/Oct/14/2003096427/1200/1200/0/221014-F-F3963-1001.PNG
Project FIERCE fuels the future of synthetic jet fuel generation
- Published Nov. 8, 2022
- By Maj. Nicole Pearl, Dr. Paul Wrzesinski and Capt. Kaleb Mitchell
- Air Force Futures and Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate
Editor’s note: Maj. Nicole Pearl was a Blue Horizons Fellow in 2021 who served as co-lead on Project FIERCE. She is now an innovative solutions strategist at Air Force Futures.
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFRL) — Jet fuel relies on a complex network of drillers, refiners and shippers, but those who were near the Hsu STEM Range in Laurel Hill, Florida, July 27, 2022, heard the sounds of a small jet flying, heralding a new era for the jet fuel supply chain. Led by the Air Force’s Project FIERCE, this was the first demonstration of a technology that could allow flightlines and airports to generate fuel on-site in the future…CONT…
THE REAL/TRUE/TRUTH FACTS THAT “WE” IN THE USA AND THE WORLD COULD HAVE/SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN AWAY FROM “BURNING FOSSIL FUELS” FOR ENERGIES AND TRANSPORTATION, MANY, MANY DECADES AGO=IS MORE EVIDENT THAT EVER BEFORE AND ITS EASIER THAN “GREEDY/EVIL-DOERS” REALLY WANT “U.S.” TO BELIEVE….BECAUSE AS A LITTLE BOY, I WATCHED MY OWN “LATE GREAT DADDY/”PENDON “NONE”=(BECAUSE HE HAD NO MIDDLE NAME) REECE, ..I WATCHED HIM CREATE/MAKE A CARBURETOR AND SYSTEM OF AN OLD FORD PU RUN OFF OF “WELL WATER” POURE3D INTO THE OLD CONVERTED FUEL TANK, THE VEHICLE DID CRANK UP AND RAN, ALTHOUGH “CHOPPY” AND “ROUGH”; I WATCHED “DADDY” DO IT, BEFORE HE BLEW UP THE SMOKE HOUSE, AS HE ALSO MADE “MOON SHINE LIQUOR” AND I WAS TOO YOUNG TO REMEMBER EXACTLY HOW “DADDY” DID THAT STUFF….
Project FIERCE fuels the future of synthetic jet fuel generation
- Published Nov. 8, 2022
- By Maj. Nicole Pearl, Dr. Paul Wrzesinski and Capt. Kaleb Mitchell
- Air Force Futures and Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate
Editor’s note: Maj. Nicole Pearl was a Blue Horizons Fellow in 2021 who served as co-lead on Project FIERCE. She is now an innovative solutions strategist at Air Force Futures.
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFRL) — Jet fuel relies on a complex network of drillers, refiners and shippers, but those who were near the Hsu STEM Range in Laurel Hill, Florida, July 27, 2022, heard the sounds of a small jet flying, heralding a new era for the jet fuel supply chain. Led by the Air Force’s Project FIERCE, this was the first demonstration of a technology that could allow flightlines and airports to generate fuel on-site in the future.
Since 2008, the Air Force has used alternative fuels, known as sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), that require blending with traditional fossil fuels. Most of these alternative fuels require refinement or blending by large refineries. In recent years, energy companies, engine/aircraft manufacturers and airlines have come together to explore new fuel synthesis technologies that would not require blending with fossil fuels.
Beginning in fall 2021, as part of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s Blue Horizons Fellowship, Project FIERCE partnered with the Air Force Research Laboratory, AIR COMPANY and the Hsu Educational Foundation to create and test a fully synthetic “drop-in” replacement jet fuel from captured carbon dioxide and water. The most recent round of testing confirmed it as the first fuel made entirely from carbon dioxide emissions that matches the properties and performance of Jet A-1, and contains all necessary components of jet fuel, including aromatics.
This synthetic jet fuel, distributed under the name AIRMADE SAF is net carbon neutral. It requires as much captured carbon input as is emitted when the fuel is burned, but rather than contributing additional emissions, it’s recycling.
The Department of Defense is largely tied to the commercial energy and fuel markets, both domestically and abroad. A complex system of pipelines, ships, trucks and aircraft ensures fuel is delivered to bases. However, many areas of operation cannot always easily access the supply chain and fuel storage is limited in capacity. With this challenge in mind, Project FIERCE’s proof of concept explored the idea of on-site fuel generation. For now, just a few gallons can be produced in a day, but as this technology scales, forward bases could benefit from diversified supply, or operate independently without fuel resupply requirements.
The unmanned flight test team at the Hsu Educational Foundation executed the first flight demonstration in July with the 100% synthetic jet fuel. This collaboration between the Air Force and the Hsu Educational Foundation is a public-private partnership that is accelerating dual-use technology.
As one of many programs building the STEM ecosystem in Northwest Florida, the Hsu Foundation is a Federal Aviation Administration-designated recreational unmanned aerial system safety test administrator and is serving an appointment to the FAA’s Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee.
AFRL and Air Force Special Operations Command named Hsu’s unique collaboration with industry and military FieldWerx since it provides tools and training, fosters innovation to empower warfighters and builds a future workforce in STEM.
“The Hsu Foundation enabled Project FIERCE to get to a flight demonstration incredibly fast, which is so important because if a program is not flying, it’s dying.” said Maj. Cory Staudinger, Blue Horizons Fellow and co-lead of Project FIERCE.
The Air Force will use the data generated from these tests to inform further development of synthetic on-site fuel generation technologies.
“Actually flying with this fuel gives us confidence that we can continue investing in this technology so that one day it will open up new operational capabilities,” said Capt. Stephen Beaton, energy solutions strategist for Air Force Futures. “The future of our nation’s military strength depends on building enduring advantages and getting the technology we need more quickly.”
About AFRL
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 11,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit: www.afresearchlab.com.
KC-135 Stratotanker aircraftA U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker, assigned to the 350th Expeditionary Aircraft Refueling Squadron, flies over Qatar, Feb. 13, 2021. Through an innovative project, the Air Force is attempting to create new fuel options aircraft use including carbon transformation that can turn carbon dioxide from the air into nearly any chemical, material, or fuel, including jet fuel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Joey Swafford) U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Joey SwaffordPHOTO DETAILS / DOWNLOAD HI-RES
The Air Force partners with Twelve, proves it’s possible to make jet fuel out of thin air
- Published Oct. 22, 2021
- By Corrie Poland
- Air Force Operational Energy
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —
What if you could access fuel from anywhere on the planet, at any time, no tanker required? The Air Force thinks it’s possible with ground-breaking carbon transformation technology.
Separate from carbon capture and storage or carbon utilization, carbon transformation can turn carbon dioxide from the air into nearly any chemical, material, or fuel, including jet fuel.
In 2020, Air Force Operational Energy endorsed the carbon transformation company, Twelve, to launch a pilot program to demonstrate that their proprietary technology could convert CO2 into operationally viable aviation fuel called E-Jet.
The project hit a major milestone in August of this year when Twelve successfully produced jet fuel from CO2, proving the process worked and setting up the conditions to create the synthetic carbon-neutral fuel in larger quantities. The first phase of the project is scheduled to conclude in December with a report detailing the process and findings.
For the Air Force, the implications of this innovation could be profound. Initial testing shows that the system is highly deployable and scalable, enabling the warfighter to access synthetic fuel from anywhere in the world. Reliable access to energy and fuel is paramount to military operations. Recent joint wargaming and operational exercises have underlined the significant risk that transporting, storing, and delivering fuel poses to troops – both at home and abroad.
At the height of the war in Afghanistan, attacks on fuel and water convoys accounted for more than 30% of casualties. Yet, fuel demand is only expected to increase as advanced weapon systems and operations require increasing levels of power.
“History has taught us that our logistics supply chains are one of the first things the enemy attacks. As peer-adversaries pose more and more of a threat, what we do to reduce our fuel and logistics demand will be critical to avoid risk and win any potential war,” said Roberto Guerrero, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for operational energy.
Currently, the Department of the Air Force relies on commercial fuel to operate, both domestically and abroad. The Air Force must use a combination of trucks, aircraft, and ships to ensure fuel is delivered to meet warfighter demand. However, many areas of operation cannot always easily reach traditional access points of the supply chain, particularly during conflict.
Twelve’s carbon transformation platform could allow deployed units to create fuel on demand, without the need for highly skilled fuel experts on site. The Air Force sees the opportunity for the technology to provide a supplemental source to petroleum-based fuels to decrease demand in areas that are typically difficult to deliver fuel to.
“With carbon transformation, we are untethering aviation from petroleum supply chains. The Air Force has been a strong partner in our work to advance innovative new sources of aviation fuel,” said Nicholas Flanders, Twelve co-founder and CEO.
Most synthetic fuels, which are created by a mix of carbon monoxide and hydrogen known as syngas, are produced through burning biomass, coal, or natural gas. Twelve’s technology eliminates the need for fossil fuels, producing syngas by recycling CO2 captured from the air and – using only water and renewable power as inputs – transforming the CO2.
The process of converting syngas into liquid hydrocarbon fuels is not new. Known as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, the multistep method was created in the 1920s by German scientists and aided the German war effort during World War II.
Today, it is widely used to produce liquid fuels for transportation. Fischer-Tropsch certified synthetic fuels are approved as a ‘drop-in’ fuel for each specific aircraft, first commercially, and then by the U.S. military and the aircraft’s associated system program office. The highest blend currently certified is a 50/50 blend of FT synthetic fuel and petroleum fuel. Twelve’s system produced FT-Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene, which can be blended with petroleum – up to a maximum blend of 50%.
Once the first phase of the program concludes at the end of 2021, the Air Force Operational Energy office will look to the next phase of scaling the technology to produce synthetic fuel in larger quantities. If brought to scale, the platform would enable more agile operations and decrease dependence on foreign oil, while having the added benefit of mitigating carbon emissions – a Department of Defense key priority under Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III.
While there remain a number of unanswered questions to make this technology operational, such as how to power the production of the syngas in remote areas and where water sources for the necessary hydrogen will come from (Twelve notes that water for the process can also be captured from the air), the team sees this is a positive first step in a truly innovative program.
“My office is looking at a number of initiatives to not only optimize aviation fuel use for improved combat capability, but to reduce the logistics burden as well,” Guerrero said. “We’re excited about the potential of carbon transformation to support this effort and Twelve’s technology – as one of the tools in our toolbox – could help us get there.”FSUSAFAFAir Forcealternative fuelEnergy Awarenessenergy efficiencycarbongreenhouse gasemissionspowerinnovationsynthetic fuelcarbon neutralclimateTwelvetransformation energyE-Jet
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