GAS AS AIRCRAFT FUEL

                        

              
                            The first test flight of Gas Helicopter in September, 1987  

                                   An abstract from the article by:

                     V. Zaitsev.   Director-General of "InterAviaGas" Company 

 

Burning of organic fuels  is harmful for the world ecology.   Toxic emissions by automobiles are  supplemented by exhaust gases of air and space crafts.  Therefore  joint efforts of all industries polluting the air could have the maximal positive effect. One of the solutions to find the way out  is the conversion of ground and air means of transport  to gas fuels.

 

Specialists in aircraft industry managed to find  such a technical solution of the problem that enables to produce on the same equipment both propan-butan for card and  aircraft condensed fuel (ACF)  for helicopters. This technology is especially effective in distant places of oil and gas extraction, where it is very difficult to transport out  liquid petroleum gases on one hand and  it is very costly to transport in aircraft fuel on the  other hand. The high cost of using helicopters leads to decline in demand for transportation services by helicopters and greatly increases expenditures of those oil and gas operators who cannot use any means of transport except helicopters because the area of their work is accessible only by air, above hundreds of miles of swamps.

 

Russian aircraft industry for 30 years has been seeking for a fuel  which could be an alternative for aircraft kerosene.  In 1987-1988  it was proved in the USSR that such an alternative could be  real.  Test flights of experimental helicopter MI-8T  confirmed the possibility of using gas fuel for aircrafts. One of the two engines of this helicopter used butan as engine fuel and the test pilots did not notice  any difference  in flight behavior  between  this  experimental aircraft and  conventional helicopters.  The technical personnel also  had no difficulties in preparation the helicopter for the test flights: the engine start up was immediate, the exhaust gases were clean as was clean the turbine after the flights – there was no smut on combustion chamber walls. The effective gas fuel consumption was 5% less than in conventional helicopters.  Totally the test flights lasted for 50 hours.

 

In the beginning of 90-s  the first  industrially manufactured helicopter  MI-8TG  started its test flights/ This aircraft was made at Moscow  Helicopter Plant jointly with  “InterAviaGas” Company.  It used as a fuel either ACF or conventional aircraft kerosene. Or  the mixture of these in any proportions. The conversion to ACF can be done at any  aircraft repair  plant within 1-2 weeks. This helicopter took part in the  Moscow Air and Space International Exhibition ( MACS  1995) in its flights attracted attention of foreign experts because there is no such aircraft abroad. In 2000 this helicopter was awarded a Diploma at the  Moscow Exhibition “ High Technologies for Defense” and in 2001 it  was awarded a Diploma and a Golden Medal at the First Moscow International Exhibition of Innovations and Investments.

 

This bi-fuel helicopter is ready for a serial production within 1-2 years. In a way the fuelling process for this helicopter  will be even easier than for cars as the fuelling equipment will be installed near the sources of oil and gas extraction.

 

It is very easy to calculate the economic effect of  the conversion.  One MI-8 helicopter consumes 0,5 – 1 thousand tons of  kerosene per annum About the same quantity of fuel  is consumed annually by 50 -100  tracks of medium load. Only in Western Siberia  more than 400 helicopters are  in service today.  Such a conversion  will bring additional profits to oil and gas producers as  a new major consumer of their product will appear close to the places of oil and gas extraction. And this major consumer will buy  those oil and gas by-products which are burned in torches today quite often because it is too difficult to transport these by-products to the mainland.

 

In our view to make real the implementation of this conversion program it must be  a  joint Federal and  Regional  program.   In this case  completion of R&D stage should be financed from the Federal Budget while its implementation in the Regions – from regional Budgets with participation of local interested parties – local administrations and local aircraft organizations.

 

                     
                       

                                    The First Gas Engine helicopter  

                                                   H O M  E