AIR TRAVEL – GREENER BY DESIGN ANNUAL REPORT 2017/18 Greener DESIGNby Greener by Design Executive Committee Prof Peter Bearman Jonathon Counsell Roger Gardner Dr John Green Ian Jopson Dr Ray Kingcombe Simon Luxmoore Geoff Maynard Kevin Morris Prof Ian Poll Robert Whitfield Dr Richard Wilson Roger Wiltshire Image credits: Page 5: Sedef Gungor; Page 6: Joshua Putnum, NATS; Page 7: Rolls Royce, NATS; Page 8: Heathrow; Page 10: Florian Schneider; Page 11: Barbara Budish; Page 12: NATS, RAeS; Page 13: Sustainable Aviation; Page 14: Alejandro-Molina; Page 15: Guilherme Stecanella; Page 16: Airbus; Page 17: easyJet; Page 18: ATR Aircraft, ICAO; Page 23: Airbus; ATI; Page 24: NASA, Flickr/ BriYYZ; Page 25: Embraer; Page 26: NASA; Page 27: EasyJet, Eviation, UBER/Pickard Chilton/ARUP; Page 28: Volocopter; Page 29: Paul Evans, Dermot Byrne; Page 30: Airbus. 2 Greener by Design 2017/18 GREENER BY DESIGN ANNUAL REPORT 2017/18 Contents Introduction 4 Conference Report 6 Sustainable Alternative Fuels 16 Atmospheric Science 19 Technology 23 Operations Report 29 Front cover: The A-17 Zephyr, the 2017-18 Cranfield University 480 student-month MSc Group Design Project for a 200 seat short-medium range airliner with an ultra-high aspect ratio strut-braced wing, boundary-layer ingesting rear propulsor and many other novel technologies. In total about 81,000 staff and student hours were used. (For further information contact: [email protected]) (Rendering by H Goitia and L Bao) Greener by Design Annual Report 2017/18 3 Introduction 2017 was a big year for the environment. It ceased our environmental footprint is shrinking. We must to be the preserve of the smaller political parties press on with all reasonable ways of minimising but became a mainstream political issue. Two damage to the environment, whether it be through events were significant in causing this seismic emissions from aircraft or airports, whether change: increasing concern at the poor air quality affecting air quality, noise or CO2. in our streets, and David Attenborough’s Blue Planet TV series showing in graphic detail what Second, if we fail to keep ahead of public opinion, damage plastic waste is causing to our marine or appear to be half-hearted, our industry will environment. This has catapulted the environment suffer through a perception we are damaging to near the top of the public’s conscience. It has the environment. We will be seen as one of the also caused the Government to make the first ‘bad boys’ and legislation could force us to take significant environmental policy change since the action which is ill thought out, incur unnecessary present policy was set following the publication cost on the industry, and be less effective than a of the Stern Report ten years ago. No longer are well thought out ‘Greener by Design’. Greener by the higher efficiency of diesel vehicles (producing Design’s approach is as relevant as it was when we less CO2 than petrol vehicles) to be encouraged, were founded 18 years ago. recognising that the health impacts of higher levels of NOx and other airborne particulates from Bearing this in mind, we have chosen as a theme diesel vehicles outweigh the (relatively small but for this year’s conference ‘Impact of Electric and still significant) CO2 advantage. Diesel vehicles Hybrid Propulsion in Aviation’. The conference are to be phased out, and the Government has will be held slightly later this year on Tuesday also stated their intention to phase out all petrol 20 November. After last year’s very successful cars too (although not hybrids – but zero emissions conference on 'Noise and the Community' (a remains the Government’s aim). The UK has not summary of which will be found later in this annual been alone in this course of action: several other report), we are assembling an impressive group European states are also phasing out diesel cars, of speakers for this year’s conference. We hope and some have also set dates to eliminate petrol you all will be able to join us, and look forward to vehicles, a significant step in the decarbonisation welcoming old friends and new. of road transport. And it doesn’t stop there. The Government has announced its intention to phase out rail diesel trains to a similar timescale, and the International Maritime Organisation is facing strong calls for shipping to produce plans to reduce its CO2 emissions (which are a similar size to aviation’s). Geoff Maynard There are two lessons here for aviation. First we Chairman cannot afford any let up in the speed with which Greener by Design 4 Greener by Design 2017/18 5 Conference Report Greener by Design Conference report INTRODUCTION expansion following the revised air quality forecasts The Annual Conference for 2017 was held at produced by the CAA. Everyone was encouraged to the Society’s Headquarters in London on 12 comment on these proposals to ensure the widest October. This full-day conference was dedicated to possible stakeholder involvement, and to ensure the addressing the thorny issue of aircraft noise and its best overall national solution was achieved while impact on local communities. allowing for specific local issues. Lord Callanan, Aviation Minister in the Department SESSION 1: OPPORTUNITIES TO REDUCE NOISE for Transport, gave the Keynote address. He started IMPACTS AND TRADE OFFS. by commending the CAA on the exemplary way they SustainableIan Jopson, Aviation Noise Head Road-Map of Environment & Community had successfully repatriated 110,000 passengers Affairs at NATS, outlined some of the ways air 4.3 Introduction stranded abroad the week before by the collapse of traffic control can help by changing approach and Monarch airlines. Historicallydeparture the industry routes. has continuously These sought are ways aimedto improve atthe efficiencyallowing of aircraft operations to andaircraft from airports. to climb more quickly and descend later, The CAA’s major long-term task is to implement Operationalso aircraft improvements are give higher the opportunity for longer to influence and noise reduce both close noisein to the airport and airspace modernisation, thereby providing the air further away. Examples of operational measures that can have noise benefits closer to the airport, in the rangeon 6 theto 0 miles, ground. include steeper Displaced approaches, thresholds, low power low drag, continuous delayed deployment of landing space capacity necessary to ensure the expansion gear,climb, alternate continuousflap settings and displaced descent, thresholds. steeper Examples of descentsoperational measures and that can have of UK aviation could continue. In this task it was noisesegmented benefits further away approach from the airport, are in all the waysrange 6 to this 25 miles, can include be continuous descent essential local communities were engaged, and the approaches, steeper approaches and continuous climb departures. These may provide benefits outside theachieved area of standard and 57dBA are Leq shownnoise contours. below. A plan view showing some of these operational CAA needed to lead responsibly by analysing in techniquesGraph to 1reduce noise as we move forwards is presented in Figure 27 below. detail the different options, including the frequency of use of the routes, to arrive at the best overall solution. The Government was taking powers to call in these proposals, if it was considered aspects had been overlooked or the scheme was not the best overall. The Government was establishing an independent Commission on civil aviation noise, and this will have a key role in ensuring the CAA is supported throughout this process. The Government was part way through a major consultation process on a national aviation policy statement, and further consultation on Heathrow Figure 27: Schematic demonstrating location of noise benefits from different operational practices along 6 Royal Aeronautical Society a flight path. The following sections of this chapter explore the opportunities in more detail. 4.4 Managing Noise from Arriving Aircraft For arriving traffic, operational improvements are expected to offer noise reductions of between 1 to 5 decibels (SEL) by 2030 against a 2010 baseline. The following section describes examples of operational improvements to mitigate noise from arriving aircraft. www.sustainableaviation.co.uk Page 47 of 112 Graph 2 5 Modern engines are significantly quieter 5 Modern engines are significantly quieter Chapter 3 0 Chapter 3 0 -5 -5 ChapterChapter 4 4 -10 -10 >55T <55T>55T <55T 777 Trent Trent 777 800 -15 -15 Trent 777 800 Noise Reduction Chapter 14 Noise Reduction -20 500 Trent A340 Chapter 14 -20 500 Trent A340 524G - 524G Noise - Trent 1000 Trent Noise A380 Trent 900 Trent A380 -25 1000 Trent -25 900 Trent A380 A350 XWB Trent Trent A350 XWBXWB 787 A350 XWB Trent Trent A350 XWBXWB -30 787 747 RB211 747 -30 747 RB211 747 (cumulative EPNdB relative to Chapter 3 limit) Chapter to EPNdB relative (cumulative -35 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 (cumulative EPNdB relative to Chapter 3 limit) Chapter to EPNdB relative (cumulative -35 1985 1990 1995 2000Entry2005 into Service2010 (date)2015 2020 Entry into Service (date) Rolls-Royce Proprietary Information Rolls-Royce Proprietary Information Ian stressed that both pilots and air traffic controllers much noise the aircraft actually makes at any time, need to co-operate to make this work. NATS has a with a lesser contribution from aircraft performance major campaign on to increase the percentage of and configuration and the engine cycle. The engine (CDA) approaches. Typically 80-85% of landings in the and airframe component and that from the engine UK are now CDA, and the target is for a further 5%. installation/acoustic liners will be of less significance, This would yield another 30,000 quieter flights, saving depending on aircraft configuration. There has been 10,000 tons of CO2 and £2m of fuel.