Since 2006, regulations for highway diesel fuel sold in the United Steates have specified an ultra low sulfur fuel content standard of 15 parts per million. This value is substantially lower than the previous standard of 500 ppm and is intended to vastly reduce particulate matter pollution from diesel vehicles. However, there currently exists no ultra low sulfur policy for jet fuel, which has an average sulfur content of approximately 600 ppm. Project 27 will perform a detailed environmental cost-benefit assessment of the potential introduction of ultra low sulfur jet fuels in U.S. and worldwide markets.
A proposed simulation will build on previous work with the use of higher-fidelity modeling and broader scenario analyses. Specifically, Project 27 will use advanced simulation methods to assess desulfurization-induced changes in fuel properties and their impacts on the radiative properties of soot and contrails. In addition, Project 27 will include a full life-cycle analysis of ultra low sulfur jet fuel that will account for the increased carbon dioxide production that results from the desulfurization process.
This multi-university project will draw on broad international expertise in air quality and climate modeling. Project 27 will first work with industry to refine the assumptions that support the analysis. Subsequently, research teams will employ different air quality modeling approaches and climate modeling approaches to assess ultra low sulfur fueled aircraft emissions across all phases of flight. The resulting refined environmental cost-benefit analysis will offer substantial improvements over currently available data.
Improved tools for assessing and modeling the true environmental and operational impacts of ultra low sulfur jet fuel. Refined environmental cost-benefit analyses that will aid policymakers and refinery operators in determining future direction.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Cambridge
Stanford University
University of Houston
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Harvard University School of Public Health
Ian Waitz, Professor, Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, iaw@mit.edu
Mohan Gupta mohan.l.gupta@faa.gov
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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