Sat, Jun 26, 2010
Contract Awarded To Accelerate Environmentally Friendly
Technology
The FAA announced $125 million in contracts to develop and
demonstrate technologies that will reduce commercial jet fuel
consumption, emissions and noise. The contracts are part of the
FAA's Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN) program
- to speed the introduction of "green" technology into
aviation.
"The FAA is working with the aviation community to aggressively
meet critical environmental and energy goals," said FAA
Administrator Randy Babbitt Thursday. "The CLEEN program is a
central piece of the Next Generation air traffic modernization
environmental strategy."
The FAA is contracting with Boeing, General Electric, Honeywell,
Pratt & Whitney, and Rolls-Royce-North America. The five
companies will research and demonstrate a variety of technologies,
including:
- Sustainable alternative aviation fuels.
- Lighter and more efficient gas turbine engine components.
- Noise-reducing engine nozzles.
- Advanced wing trailing edges.
- Optimized flight trajectories using onboard flight management
systems.
- Open rotor and geared turbofan engines.
The five contracts are expected to total $125 million over the
five-year span of the program. Under this "cost sharing"
arrangement the companies will match or exceed the FAA's
contribution, bringing the overall value of the program to more
than $250 million. The CLEEN program helps develop environmentally
friendly and energy efficient aircraft and engine technology that
could be introduced into the commercial aircraft fleet beginning in
2015. The goals of these research and demonstration efforts include
a reduction in fuel burn by 33 percent, a reduction of nitrogen
oxide emissions by 60 percent, and a reduction in cumulative
aircraft noise levels by 32 decibels.
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