Jet powered by PW800 engines wraps transatlantic trip using 100% SAF

The aircraft engines ran on a sustainable aviation fuel comprising hydro-processed Esters and Fatty Acids.

Jet powered by PW800 engines wraps transatlantic trip using 100% SAF

The PW800 engine by Pratt & Whitney Canada

Pratt & Whitney  

In a fillip for cleaner aviation technology, the milestone of completing a transatlantic flight exclusively utilizing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) was achieved by Pratt & Whitney Canada and Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation. 

The feat was done using a Gulfstream G600 business jet equipped with two Pratt & Whitney PW800 series engines, which were customized to run on SAF. The companies’ transatlantic flight aimed to demonstrate the functionality of the engine and the aircraft in a fully operational setting to support future specifications for 100 percent SAF. 

It is expected that efforts like this will become critical in achieving net-zero CO2 emissions for aviation in the coming decades, which will be a more sustainable future. “Future 100 percent SAF operational approval will add to the versatility, reliability, and fuel efficiency of the PW815GA engine to benefit Gulfstream and our customers,” said Anthony Rossi, vice president of sales & marketing at Pratt & Whitney Canada, in a statement.   

Sustainable aviation

The test flight was conducted on November 19, with the Gulfstream G600 jet taking off from Savannah, Georgia, and landing in Farnborough, United Kingdom. Both aircraft engines were running on 100 percent hydro-processed Esters and Fatty Acids (neat HEFA), a jet fuel that has at least 70 percent less CO2 emissions over its lifecycle than fossil fuel. World Energy produced and World Fuel Services supplied the SAF used on the flight, according to the companies. 

Gulfstream has enjoyed a collaboration with Pratt & Whitney Canada for over a decade, and its G600 jet, which commenced service in 2019, is propelled by a pair of PW815GA engines. The Canadian firm’s PW800 engine family is one of the mainstays in the business jet category, with it clocking to over 330,000 flying hours. A transition to 100 percent SAF fuel with its engine lineup would provide a considerable boost to sustainable aviation. 

Apart from SAF, companies are working on solutions involving hydrogen, which is high in energy, easily combustible, and devoid of carbon atoms. Even though hydrogen fuel has the potential to enable zero-emissions flight, it also presents significant challenges.

Role of SAFs

Since SAF is made from non-fossil-based feedstocks, as opposed to Jet A Kerosene, aircraft operators can lower their carbon impact. SAF comes in a variety of forms and is produced using sustainable feedstocks such as plant oils, leftover cooking oil, and municipal garbage. Accordingly, compared to traditional jet fuel, SAFs might save carbon emissions by 80 percent throughout their lifetime.

Additionally, SAFs are a “drop-in” solution that doesn’t require any new funding for fuel infrastructure or existing aircraft. With 47,000 aircraft expected to be in the worldwide commercial fleet by 2030, SAF provides the most direct path to lowering the aviation industry’s carbon footprint.

However, the companies suggest that the sector must quickly scale up SAF production to meet the demand as required by the net-zero roadmaps, which presents a significant hurdle. Governments and businesses must work closely together to close the gap to encourage investment in production infrastructure and raise the profitability of SAF for operators, according to Pratt & Whitney. 

According to the firm, $1.1–1.4 trillion would be the required investment in SAF production infrastructure to attain net zero targets in 2050. It was calculated that only 0.01 percent of jet fuel demand was provided by SAF in 2019. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jijo Malayil Jijo is an automotive and business journalist based in India. Armed with a BA in History (Honors) from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University, and a PG diploma in Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi, he has worked for news agencies, national newspapers, and automotive magazines. In his spare time, he likes to go off-roading, engage in political discourse, travel, and teach languages.