A simple framework for assessing the trade-off between the climate impact of aviation carbon dioxide emissions and contrails for a single flight

Persistent contrails are an important climate impact of aviation which could potentially be reduced by re-routing aircraft to avoid contrailing; however this generally increases both the flight length and its corresponding CO emissions. Here, we provide a simple framework to assess the trade-off between the climate impact of CO emissions and contrails for a single flight, in terms of the absolute global warming potential and absolute global temperature potential metrics for time horizons of 20, 50 and 100 years. We use the framework to illustrate the maximum extra distance (with no altitude changes) that can be added to a flight and still reduce its overall climate impact. Small aircraft can fly up to four times further to avoid contrailing than large aircraft. The results have a strong dependence on the applied metric and time horizon. Applying a conservative estimate of the uncertainty in the contrail radiative forcing and climate efficacy leads to a factor of 20 difference in the maximum extra distance that could be flown to avoid a contrail. The impact of re-routing on other climatically-important aviation emissions could also be considered in this framework.

Evaluation of tender solutions for aviation training using discrete event simulation and best performance criteria

This paper describes a novel discrete event simulation (DES) methodology for the evaluation of aviation training tenders where performance is measured against “best performance” criteria. The objective was to assess and compare multiple aviation training schedules and their resource allocation plans against predetermined training objectives. This research originated from the need to evaluate tender proposals for the Australian Defence Aviation Training School that is currently undergoing aviation training consolidation and helicopter rationalization. We show how DES is an ideal platform for evaluating resource plans and schedules, and discuss metric selection to objectively encapsulate performance and permit an unbiased comparison. DES allows feasibility studies for each tender proposal to assure they satisfy system and policy constraints. Consequently, to create an objective and fair environment to compare tendered solutions, what-if scenarios have been strategically examined to consider improved implementations of the proposed solutions.

A multi-level approach to planning and scheduling resources for aviation training

This paper describes a multi-level system dynamics (SD) / discrete event simulation (DES) approach for assessing planning and scheduling problems within an aviation training continuum. The aviation training continuum is a complex system, consisting of multiple aviation schools interacting through interschool student and instructor flows that are affected by external triggers such as resource availability and the weather.
SD was used to model the overall training continuum at a macro level to ascertain relationships between system entities. SD also assisted in developing a shared understanding of the training continuum, which involves constructing the definitions of the training requirements, resources and policy objectives. An end-to-end model of the continuum is easy to relate to, while dynamic visualisation of system behaviour provides a method for exploration of the model.
DES was used for micro level exploration of an individual school within the training continuum to capture the physical aspects of the system including resource capacity requirements, bottlenecks and student waiting times. It was also used to model stochastic events such as weather and student availability. DES has the advantage of being able to represent system variability and accurately reflect the limitations imposed on a system by resource constraints.
Through sharing results between the models, we demonstrate a multi-level approach to the analysis of the overall continuum. The SD model provides the school’s targeted demand to the DES model. The detailed DES model is able to assess schedules in the presence of resource constraints and variability and provide the expected capacity of a school to the high level SD model, subjected to constraints such as instructor availability or budgeted number of training systems. The SD model allows stakeholders to assess how policy and planning affect the continuum, both in the short and the long term.
The development of this approach permits moving the analysis of the continuum between SD and DES models as appropriate for given system entities, scales and tasks. The resultant model outcomes are propagated between the continuum and the detailed DES model, iteratively generating an assessment of the entire set of plans and schedule across the continuum. Combining data and information between SD and DES models and techniques assures relevance to the stakeholder needs and effective problem scoping and scaling that can also evolve with dynamic architecture and policy requirements.
An example case study shows the combined use of the two models and how they are used to evaluate a typical scenario where increased demand is placed on the training continuum. The multi-level approach provides a high level indication of training requirements to the model of the new training school, where the detailed model indicates the resources required to achieve those particular student levels.

Analysis of the restructuring of the Russian defence industry (by the example of aviation industry and knaapo) and the creation of United Aviation Construction Corporation

The present study is focused on the analysis of the three main governmental measures occurred in 2000-2006 in Russian defense industry: the creation of the holding structures, the establishing of the state monopoly in arms export, and creation of the United Aviation Construction Corporation (Ob¿edinennaya Aviastroitel¿naya Corporatziya), which was initiated by the President and Government of Russian Federation in 2006. The last project assumes the consolidation and joining of all producers of civil and military aviation into one united corporation in order to save the technological and productive potential of the sector after serious crisis in 1990-s. On the other hand, this project can be considered as one of the measures to establish state control and hierarchy in the defense industry. The current project tries to analyze the necessity and the possible impacts of restructuring processes. In order to perform such analysis, I need to observe the evolution of the sector, which involves the description of the restructuring and reforming of the industry since the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The current situation in aviation sector was shaped by number of reforms performed by Government of Russian Federation, which I describe in phases: conversion, privatization, decentralization, followed by evident desire of the state to establish control over some companies. Later on, I am trying to understand the reasons lying behind all reforms of 2000-2006 and the integration of the industry. I also try to predict which impacts on the companies it will have. The last part presents the main conclusions of the paper.

Determination of Copper, Iron, Nickel and Zinc in fuel kerosene by FAAS after adsorption and pre-concentration on 2-aminothiazole-modified silica gel

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Square-wave voltammetry applied to the analysis of the dye marker, solvent blue 14, in kerosene and fuel alcohol

The purpose of this paper is to develop an electroanalytical method based on square-wave voltammetry (SWV) for the determination of the solvent blue 14 (SB-14) in fuel samples. The electrochemical reduction of SB-14 at glassy carbon electrode in a mixture of Britton-Robinson buffer with N,N-dimethyiformamide (1:1, v/v) presented a well-defined peak at-0.40 V vs. Ag/AgCl. All parameters of the SWV technique were optimized and the electroanalytical method presented a linear response from 1.0 x 10(-6) to 6.0 x 10(-6) mol L-1 (r = 0.998) with a detection limit of 2.90 x 10(-7) mol L-1. The developed method was successfully utilized in the quantification of the dye SB-14 in kerosene and alcohol samples with average recovery from 93.00 to 98.10%.

Transport and aviation policy in Latin America and the Caribbean in the context of sustainable development

This FAL Bulletin reviews the main ideas shared at the workshop of high-level experts on transport and aviation policy, held from 15 to 18 June 2015 in Santiago. The event was organized by the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC), the Civil Aviation Board of Chile and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

Burnout syndrome and Brazilian civil aviation: a short essay on the focus on prevention

Introduction: At the same time that there are increased demands we have become more sedentary, increasing risk factors for new diseases. All this reflects on our quality of life with special emphasis upon a particular syndrome called Burnout. Aviation is no exception and packed into its processes each day more expeditious, promotes a perfect environment for the development and spread of the syndrome. Aim: To evaluate the quality of life, organizational climate, and the level of physical activity among employees of a Brazilian airline. Methods: A cross-sectional design was conducted with 8 subjects. Results: Total score on the WHOQOL quality of life questionnaire was 64.7 (SD 10.8), and the environmental field showed the lowest score. Nevertheless, the sedentary risk factor was performed in 25% of the sample. About the organizational climate, it can be seen that 6.12% of the sample was framed in "Professional Exhaustive", 29.60% in the condition of "Warning", and 64.37% in the condition of "Professional Efficiency". Conclusion: the study found a low quality of life, especially in the environmental category, sedentary people and a large proportion of employees in this Brazilian airline with negative scores on the Organizational Climate.

Produzione di idrogeno "on-board" mediante deidrogenazione catalitica di kerosene

L’H2 è attualmente un elemento di elevato interesse economico, con notevoli prospettive di sviluppo delle sue applicazioni. La sua produzione industriale supera attualmente i 55 ∙ 1010 m3/anno, avendo come maggiori utilizzatori (95% circa) i processi di produzione dell’ammoniaca e quelli di raffineria (in funzione delle sempre più stringenti normative ambientali). Inoltre, sono sempre più importanti le sue applicazioni come vettore energetico, in particolare nel settore dell’autotrazione, sia dirette (termochimiche) che indirette, come alimentazione delle fuel cells per la produzione di energia elettrica. L’importanza economica degli utilizzi dell’ H2 ha portato alla costruzione di una rete per la sua distribuzione di oltre 1050 km, che collega i siti di produzione ai principali utilizzatori (in Francia, Belgio, Olanda e Germania). Attualmente l’ H2 è prodotto in impianti di larga scala (circa 1000 m3/h) da combustibili fossili, in particolare metano, attraverso i processi di steam reforming ed ossidazione parziale catalitica, mentre su scala inferiore (circa 150 m3/h) trovano applicazione anche i processi di elettrolisi dell’acqua. Oltre a quella relativa allo sviluppo di processi per la produzione di H2 da fonti rinnovabili, una tematica grande interesse è quella relativa al suo stoccaggio, con una particolare attenzione ai sistemi destinati alle applicazioni nel settore automotivo o dei trasposti in generale. In questo lavoro di tesi, svolto nell’ambito del progetto europeo “Green Air” (7FP – Transport) in collaborazione (in particolare) con EADS (D), CNRS (F), Jonhson-Matthey (UK), EFCECO (D), CESA (E) e HyGEAR (NL), è stato affrontato uno studio preliminare della reazione di deidrogenazione di miscele di idrocarburi e di differenti kerosene per utilizzo aereonautico, finalizzato allo sviluppo di nuovi catalizzatori e dei relativi processi per la produzione di H2 “on board” utilizzando il kerosene avio per ottenere, utilizzando fuel cells, l’energia elettrica necessaria a far funzionare tutta la strumentazione ed i sistemi di comando di aeroplani della serie Airbus, con evidenti vantaggi dal punto di vista ponderale e delle emissioni.

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTS (LCAs) OF PYROLYSIS-BASED GASOLINE AND DIESEL FROM DIFFERENT REGIONAL FEEDSTOCKS: CORN STOVER, SWITCHGRASS, SUGAR CANE BAGASSE, WASTE WOOD, GUINEA GRASS, ALGAE, AND ALBIZIA

Renewable hydrocarbon biofuels are being investigated as possible alternatives to conventional liquid transportation fossil fuels like gasoline, kerosene (aviation fuel), and diesel. A diverse range of biomass feedstocks such as corn stover, sugarcane bagasse, switchgrass, waste wood, and algae, are being evaluated as candidates for pyrolysis and catalytic upgrading to produce drop-in hydrocarbon fuels. This research has developed preliminary life cycle assessments (LCA) for each feedstock-specific pathway and compared the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the hydrocarbon biofuels to current fossil fuels. As a comprehensive study, this analysis attempts to account for all of the GHG emissions associated with each feedstock pathway through the entire life cycle. Emissions from all stages including feedstock production, land use change, pyrolysis, stabilizing the pyrolysis oil for transport and storage, and upgrading the stabilized pyrolysis oil to a hydrocarbon fuel are included. In addition to GHG emissions, the energy requirements and water use have been evaluated over the entire life cycle. The goal of this research is to help understand the relative advantages and disadvantages of the feedstocks and the resultant hydrocarbon biofuels based on three environmental indicators; GHG emissions, energy demand, and water utilization. Results indicate that liquid hydrocarbon biofuels produced through this pyrolysis-based pathway can achieve greenhouse gas emission savings of greater than 50% compared to petroleum fuels, thus potentially qualifying these biofuels under the US EPA RFS2 program. GHG emissions from biofuels ranged from 10.7-74.3 g/MJ from biofuels derived from sugarcane bagasse and wild algae at the extremes of this range, respectively. The cumulative energy demand (CED) shows that energy in every biofuel process is primarily from renewable biomass and the remaining energy demand is mostly from fossil fuels. The CED for biofuel range from 1.25-3.25 MJ/MJ from biofuels derived from sugarcane bagasse to wild algae respectively, while the other feedstock-derived biofuels are around 2 MJ/MJ. Water utilization is primarily from cooling water use during the pyrolysis stage if irrigation is not used during the feedstock production stage. Water use ranges from 1.7 - 17.2 gallons of water per kg of biofuel from sugarcane bagasse to open pond algae, respectively.