Australia Developing the World's First Biofuel Capable Helicopter
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Australia Developing the World's First Biofuel Capable Helicopter
Australia Developing the World's First Biofuel Capable Helicopter : TreeHugger
Earlier this year, our transport editor, Mike, pondered the concept of diesel helicopters. Well, they may be closer than he thought. Delta Helicopters of Queensland, Australia, are already prepping their Delta D2 prototype to be the world's first diesel helicopter.
It is expected that the Delta D2 will be made available in self-assemble kit form, designed for use by farmers on Australia's remote farms, who already have diesel on hand for their trucks, tractors and farm machinery. The engine is coming from the US firm DeltaHawk. They've been working on diesel aviation engine that they claim burns 40% less fuel standard gasoline aviation engines and 75% less than turbine aviation engines. Plus they reckon they can get 30-40% more range per gallon. What's more, a DeltaHawk diesel aviation engine is said to be capable of using biofuels.
It is hoped that "kit sales will assist the funding of the one and a half million dollars required to meet the manual and paper work required to achieve normal category certification."
The two-seater Delta D2 helicopter was designed by aeronautical engineer Bill Whitney, who has great hopes for the aircraft, "The Delta can generate more torque, which is what helicopters need to keep aloft. They're less volatile and the fuel is greener than petrol, so the same quantity takes you further.
It isn't just the four-cylinder, two-stroke, water-cooled, turbocharged diesel engine which will be unique to the Delta D2 helicopter. Though by virtue of that engine by virtue of that engine it will have no spark plugs, no magnetos, no high tension leads, no valves and no head gaskets. It will also have custom made carbon-fibre rotors, semi-transparent fuel tanks, a massive cargo box under the rotor and transparent inspection hatches over critical couplings.
It is expected that a kit will be worth about $180,000 AUD, or $200,000 AUD fully assembled.
Visit the company's website at Delta Helicopters, where you can download further articles about the six years of development that have gone into the design.
Earlier this year, our transport editor, Mike, pondered the concept of diesel helicopters. Well, they may be closer than he thought. Delta Helicopters of Queensland, Australia, are already prepping their Delta D2 prototype to be the world's first diesel helicopter.
It is expected that the Delta D2 will be made available in self-assemble kit form, designed for use by farmers on Australia's remote farms, who already have diesel on hand for their trucks, tractors and farm machinery. The engine is coming from the US firm DeltaHawk. They've been working on diesel aviation engine that they claim burns 40% less fuel standard gasoline aviation engines and 75% less than turbine aviation engines. Plus they reckon they can get 30-40% more range per gallon. What's more, a DeltaHawk diesel aviation engine is said to be capable of using biofuels.
It is hoped that "kit sales will assist the funding of the one and a half million dollars required to meet the manual and paper work required to achieve normal category certification."
The two-seater Delta D2 helicopter was designed by aeronautical engineer Bill Whitney, who has great hopes for the aircraft, "The Delta can generate more torque, which is what helicopters need to keep aloft. They're less volatile and the fuel is greener than petrol, so the same quantity takes you further.
It isn't just the four-cylinder, two-stroke, water-cooled, turbocharged diesel engine which will be unique to the Delta D2 helicopter. Though by virtue of that engine by virtue of that engine it will have no spark plugs, no magnetos, no high tension leads, no valves and no head gaskets. It will also have custom made carbon-fibre rotors, semi-transparent fuel tanks, a massive cargo box under the rotor and transparent inspection hatches over critical couplings.
It is expected that a kit will be worth about $180,000 AUD, or $200,000 AUD fully assembled.
Visit the company's website at Delta Helicopters, where you can download further articles about the six years of development that have gone into the design.
Can't wait to change out the fuel-guzzling B3+, with this heavy lifter... as it's a diesel it just MUST have a lot of TQ
it even comes with double CUP-holders
Delta Helicopters Australia - Graeme Smith - Diesel Engine
it even comes with double CUP-holders
Delta Helicopters Australia - Graeme Smith - Diesel Engine
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I would think there are already a bunch of biofuel ready helicopters. Turbine helis burn Jet-A. Anything that'll burn that will likely burn biodiesel.
The issues between burning biodiesel in your turbine helicopter and today are largely regulatory, not technical.
Pour 80 gallons of biodiesel in the Long Ranger, and it'll fire right up I bet. Probably with fewer issues than your Powerstroke or Mercedes.
The issues between burning biodiesel in your turbine helicopter and today are largely regulatory, not technical.
Pour 80 gallons of biodiesel in the Long Ranger, and it'll fire right up I bet. Probably with fewer issues than your Powerstroke or Mercedes.
The issues between burning biodiesel in your turbine helicopter and today are largely regulatory, not technical.
skadi
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Cars prior to about 95 or 96 often do have issues with rubber seals breaking down. Most diesel vehicles post 96 have Vyton seals in tanks, lines, injectors, etc. Filter changes aren't a big deal, and the parrafin is usually leftover residue from good ole #2. Run a tank through of the bio, swap the filter, and life is good.
There are probably some retrofits that'll be required from aircraft to aircraft to account for this, but in terms of a turbine engine burning biodiesel, I can't imagine much difficulty there. Biodiesel and regular #1/#2 aren't all that far apart in terms of viscosity and are miscible in any ratio.
I guess what I'm getting at is this shouldn't be viewed as though somebody perfected cold fusion in terms of technological achievement.
FWIW--I've got about 75K miles worth of biodiesel through my 2002 F350, and it runs like a champ...and smells like Cuban food out the tailpipe.
There are probably some retrofits that'll be required from aircraft to aircraft to account for this, but in terms of a turbine engine burning biodiesel, I can't imagine much difficulty there. Biodiesel and regular #1/#2 aren't all that far apart in terms of viscosity and are miscible in any ratio.
I guess what I'm getting at is this shouldn't be viewed as though somebody perfected cold fusion in terms of technological achievement.
FWIW--I've got about 75K miles worth of biodiesel through my 2002 F350, and it runs like a champ...and smells like Cuban food out the tailpipe.
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I was buying it bulk for a while a couple of years back. One of the operators reckoned it was just like kitchen detergent. It did certainly lather well and rinse off in water quite OK.
however I got to do the sums on the back an envelope and by comparing the thermal efficiency of the distillate and green stuff against the blend, I think I remember as 80 / 20, and the whizz bang discounted price, I reckoned that I was being ripped of by 4 cents / litre.
tricks in every trade, yup, I reckon I was greenwashed for sure
Not only that I think I read somewhere that it takes 1.25 litres of diesel to make one litre of green stuff, which is only 80% the thermal efficiency of diesel. which makes a whole of duff to me.
cheers tet
however I got to do the sums on the back an envelope and by comparing the thermal efficiency of the distillate and green stuff against the blend, I think I remember as 80 / 20, and the whizz bang discounted price, I reckoned that I was being ripped of by 4 cents / litre.
tricks in every trade, yup, I reckon I was greenwashed for sure
Not only that I think I read somewhere that it takes 1.25 litres of diesel to make one litre of green stuff, which is only 80% the thermal efficiency of diesel. which makes a whole of duff to me.
cheers tet
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The recent 'should Enstrom use a diesel?' thread and the news regarding ground testing of the Clean Sky EC120 diesel engine inevitably led to this thread being revisited, but I'm sorry to find that Delta Helicopters appears to have gone silent. Their website is u/s, and the lack of any subsequent announcement regarding the planned first flight of the D2 in mid-2010 suggests that it never happened.
Any Rotorheads Dunnunda know what happened? The test bird shown at Avalon 2009 looked pretty tight, and the engine supplier itself (DeltaHawk) still appears to be progressing its SR20 plank conversion, so did they just run out of cash?
I/C
Any Rotorheads Dunnunda know what happened? The test bird shown at Avalon 2009 looked pretty tight, and the engine supplier itself (DeltaHawk) still appears to be progressing its SR20 plank conversion, so did they just run out of cash?
I/C
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Good luck getting it certified for $1.5 million. If it takes the big boys, who've got a lot of experience in certification, over 3 years to get something certified in countries where the authorities have lots of experience certifying helicopters, the staff costs alone are going to be at least 10 times that amount.
Good reason why (certified) helicopters aren't cheap.
Good reason why (certified) helicopters aren't cheap.
Turbine helis burn Jet-A. Anything that'll burn that will likely burn biodiesel.
"Some people I know" once burnt tankfuls of diesel in an early morning multi-helicopter flight some years back, due to an unfortunate combination of circumstances leading to the glugging of said fuel into the tanks rather than avtur.
The only bad outcome of that was that once the stuff-up was discovered, a whole lot of defuelling, filter changes, pushing around of heavy helicopters and ground running (plus the red faces of course).
Biodiesel would no doubt have worked fine too; good to know that a turbine engine probably won't stop dead anyway (at least in the short term) if you put the wrong stuff in.
