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Pratt urges Congress to support bio jet fuels |
| Mon April 20th, 2009 |
By Howard French
Journal Inquirer
Jet engines have come a long way over the past five decades in terms of fuel efficiency, although the fuels that planes use have changed very little.
That was part of what Alan Epstein, Pratt & Whitney’s vice president for technology and environment, told the House committee on Space and Aviation’s subcommittee on Science and Technology in a hearing on March 26.
“Development of sustainable bio jet fuels is one of the most promising avenues for aviation to reduce its impact on climate change,” Epstein said, according to his testimony posted on Pratt’s Web site.
“Pratt & Whitney is bullish on bio jet fuel for aviation,” he said. “Simply put, drop-in, sustainable aviation bio jet fuels are an excellent idea,” Epstein told subcommittee members.
“They will reduce aviation’s CO2, while diversifying our fuel supply and promoting energy independence,” he said.
Combined with continuing technical innovation in aircraft and engines, Epstein said, “we see sustainable bio jet fuels as enabling the growth in civil aviation that is critical to the nation’s and the world’s economic growth.”
The next flight test demonstration with Pratt involvement will be a Jet Blue, Airbus Industrie, and International Aero Engines flight test scheduled for next year using the latest generation of bio jet fuel, he said. International Aero Engines is a multinational partnership between Pratt and Britain’s Rolls-Royce, with additional participation by MTU of Germany and Japan Aerospace Corp.
IAE supplies its V2500 series of engines for Airbus A320 aircraft, among other planes.
Bio jet fuel is derived from crop-based oils, rather than traditional carbon-based oil.
Pratt has been involved for years in the development of alternative jet fuels and has been working with industry groups, customers, and aircraft makers to find fuel options that improve supplies and reduce emissions.
Early this year Pratt joined with Japan Airlines and The Boeing Co. to complete a flight test of a “second generation bio fuel” on a Pratt-powered Boeing 747. Pratt & Whitney Canada is also working with the aerospace industry to develop and test alternative fuels for general aviation aircraft, business jets, and the Virgin Galactic spaceship program.
Pratt is a subsidiary of Hartford-based United Technologies Corp.
UTC stock ended the trading day Friday at $47.32 per share, down 18 cents per share.
Over the past 52 weeks, the stock has traded between a low of $37.40 per share and a high of $75.86 per share.
Copyright © 2009 - Journal Inquirer
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