Diamond Aircraft announced yesterday that it has started work on a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) development program.
The Austrian manufacturer offers diesel/Jet-A options on most of its aircraft, powered by engines from sister company Austro Engine, but systems will need to be developed for the engines to run on SAF.
“Next to the all-electric eDA40, SAF will become a near-term available solution for sustainable aviation,” said Robert Kremnitzer, Head of Design Organization, Diamond Aircraft Austria.
“In the piston engine segment, we have the big advantage that most of our existing fleet is already using jet fuel. With this program we ensure, that sustainable alternatives to this fuel types may be used as soon as they become available at airports with general aviation fuel stations with no or only minor adaptions to the aircraft.”
In order to validate and approve sustainable aviation fuels, turbo-charged compression-ignition piston engines require not only chemical and calorific analyses, but also investigations on component test stands, engine test stands and flight tests.
Diamond has installed a specially-designed engine test bench with full measurement technology, which measures the cylinder pressures in real time, the emission components of unburned hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, GHG carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Austro Engine Chief Technology Officer Felix Zahradnik said that the SAF development was only one part of a sustainable future for GA worldwide.
“We believe the coexistence of several technologies as strategically sensible for general aviation," he said. "Diamond Aircraft is currently developing the eDA40, an all-electric training aircraft, which will be certified in the near future. Austro Engine relies on more than 16 years of experience and more than 2.5 million hours flown with their piston engines.
“In addition to further innovations in the field of material science and combustion process development, the key to sustainability lies in the type of fuel used. By using regeneratively produced fuels, not only can the existing infrastructure be utilised, but also the CO2 balance significantly and directly influenced.
"The goal of current efforts is clearly the release of sustainable fuels for currently available Diamond aircraft.”
Diamond Aircraft has said that availability of SAF that complies with ASTM D7566 has hampered the development program, but believes increasing availability will enable the program to accelerate and meet Diamond's aim of releasing the entire fleet to use this blend by 2025.