Energy efficiency improvement potential of commercial aircraft to 2010

Technical Report · Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6716559

Greene, D L

Aircraft are second only to motor vehicles in the use of motor fuels. Furthermore, air travel is growing twice as fast as highway travel. Clearly, the importance of energy use by commercial aircraft will continue to increase. Since 1970, air travel has more then tripled, but the growth of fuel use has been restrained by a near doubling of efficiency, from 26.2 seat miles per gallon (SMPG) in 1970 to about 49 SMPG in 1989. This paper explores the potential for future efficiency improvements via the replacement of existing aircraft with 1990's generation'' and post 2000'' aircraft incorporating advances in engine and airframe technology. Today, new commercial passenger aircraft deliver 50--70 SMPG. New aircraft types scheduled for delivery in the early 1990's are expected to achieve 65--80 SMPG. Industry and government researchers have identified technologies capable of boosting aircraft efficiencies to the 100--150 SMPG range. Under current industry plans, which do not include a post-2000 generation of new aircraft, the total aircraft fleet should reach the vicinity of 65 SMPG by 2010. A new generation of 100--150 SMPG aircraft introduced in 2005 could raise the fleet average efficiency to 75--80 SMPG in 2010. In any case, fuel use will likely continue to grow at from 0.8%/y to 1.8%/y through 2010. 35 refs., 7 figs., 9 tabs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/MA
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6716559
• Report Number(s): ORNL-6622; ON: DE90014767
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
AIRCRAFT
FUEL ECONOMY
ENGINES
FUEL CONSUMPTION
AERODYNAMICS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DESIGN
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
EVALUATION
MANUFACTURERS
MATERIALS TESTING
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
OPTIMIZATION
PLANNING
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
THERMODYNAMICS
TRANSPORTATION SECTOR
ECONOMICS
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
FLUID MECHANICS
MECHANICS
TESTING
320201* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Transportation- Air & Aerospace
291000 - Energy Planning & Policy- Conservation
360103 - Metals & Alloys- Mechanical Properties