General information
Title: Next-generation fuels for net-zero aviation (BI0006)
Supervisors: Dr Stelios Rigopoulos, Professor Marc Stettler, Dr Sebastian Eastham
Reference code: BI0006
Project overview
For aviation to reach a sustainable future, many novel fuel options are being considered to replace current jet fuel. However, the biggest climate impact of aviation may be due to contrails – ice clouds in aircraft exhaust. Research has suggested that the gradual adoption of biomass-derived sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) might produce a small climate benefit, by reducing the number of soot particles and therefore ice crystal nuclei in the contrail. However, there may be dramatically greater improvements possible through more radical approaches. In the near term it is possible that global desulfurization (already possible) could achieve greater benefits than (currently slow) SAF adoption; in the longer term, similar benefits may be possible through the adoption of radically different fuels – such as hydrogen or even metal hydride/kerosene slurries. The benefits of these fuels, however, are subject to profound scientific uncertainties rooted in aerosol microphysics. In this project, we will employ advanced modelling and simulation methods such as molecular dynamics (MD) and population balance modelling in order to investigate the ice formation mechanism of novel and exotic fuels. These findings will be integrated into global scale contrail modelling to establish whether there might exist disruptive fuels with the potential to profoundly change aviation’s climate impacts, possibly including the elimination of contrails.
Research objectives
The project will:
- Investigate the ice formation mechanisms associated with conventional jet fuel, sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), and novel fuel concepts including hydrogen and metal hydride/kerosene slurries, using advanced simulation techniques such as molecular dynamics and population balance modelling.
- Quantify how fuel composition, sulfur content and particulate emissions affect aerosol microphysics, ice nucleation and contrail formation.
- Reduce key scientific uncertainties surrounding the climate impacts of alternative aviation fuels by improving understanding of the links between fuel properties, particle emissions and contrail development.
- Incorporate these findings into global-scale contrail modelling to assess the climate impacts of different fuel pathways under future aviation scenarios.
- Identify whether disruptive fuel technologies exist that could substantially reduce, or potentially eliminate, aviation's contrail climate impact while supporting the transition to more sustainable aviation.
Contact
We welcome enquiries from prospective applicants interested in the project or the doctoral programme. Please use the contacts below, depending on the nature of your enquiry.
Doctoral programme related enquires
brahmal-aviation@imperial.ac.uk
Project related enquires
- Dr Stelios Rigopoulos (primary)
- Professor Marc Stettler
- Dr Sebastian Eastham
