McChord C-17 Globemaster III first to use synthetic blend of alternative fuel

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  • By Tyler Hemstreet
  • Staff writer
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  When given the go-ahead from Air Mobility Command, the 62nd Airlift Wing will be the first operational wing to use the new Fischer-Tropsch fuel blend in a C-17 Globemaster III, according to the 62nd Logistics Readiness Squadron. 

"We're pretty excited about it," said Master Sgt. Shayne Somavia, 62nd LRS fuels manager. 

Air Mobility Command's chief scientist Dr. Don Erbschloe is now turning his attention to tests certifying C-17s to use the alternative fuel mix, which was certified for B-52 Stratofortess Aug. 8. 

"The C-17 tests will be important because it's a newer aircraft with newer materials and systems," Dr. Erbschloe said. "Our goal is to have a standard protocol -- a methodology to establish a military standard for the fuel. (The C-17 tests) will validate the methodology we'll use to certify other aircraft." 

By 2010, the Air Force goal is to certify all its aircraft to use the fuel blend which mixes JP-8 with fuel produced using the Fischer-Tropsch process -- a process used to convert carbon-based materials into synthetic fuel. 

McChord recently received 54,000 gallons of the Fischer-Tropsch fuel, which was transported here from Houston in eight tanker trucks. 

The 62nd LRS' fuels management flight spent several weeks preparing for the fuel's arrival, Sergeant Somavia said. 

"We had to create a system to keep it quarantined from the rest of the JP- 8 fuel," he said. "That was the hardest part." 

In addition to calibrating the additive injector that was used to inject two additives into the Fischer- Tropsch blend, the flight also had to prepare a separate refueling truck just for the blend, Sergeant Somavia said. 

Once all the fuel had been offloaded from the trucks, the flight then added JP-8 to the Fischer-Tropsch, giving the fuel a 50/50 mix. 

The 103,000 gallons of blended fuel will likely be stored until March, when further guidance on the usage will come down from AMC and the Air Force Petroleum Agency, Sergeant Somavia said.

Fischer-Tropsch fuel can be synthesized from any carbon-based material, Dr. Erbschloe said. 

The Fischer-Tropsch fuel mix also has the potential to burn cleaner than JP-8, he said. 

"In (the B-52 engine) tests, the use of the alternative fuel blend was found to reduce soot emissions by 30 percent at max power and by 60 percent at idle," said Dr. Tim Edwards, a senior chemical engineer for the Air Force Research Laboratory's Fuels Branch. "Sulfur emissions were reduced by 50 percent. These emissions reductions are due to the very high quality of the Fischer-Tropsch fuel blend component." 

Until more research is done, Fischer-Tropsch fuel is mixed with JP-8 to ensure the fuel contains adequate "aromatics" -- elements found in traditionally-produced fuels and lacking in Fischer-Tropsch fuel, he said. 

"Aromatics might be a factor in preventing fuel leaks," Dr. Erbschloe said. "It turns out aromatics might help various seals and o-rings expand and seal properly in aircraft engines during operation." 

As fuel prices rise, synthetic fuel becomes economically viable with the potential to reduce dependency on foreign energy sources, said Dr. Erbschloe, a former deputy chief operating officer for the Department of Energy's Office of Science. 

"The goal is to make the cost of synthetic fuel comparable to buying JP- 8," he said. 

(Air Mobility Command Public Affairs contributed to this article.)