Blog 32: 05/02/2023: Boeing’s New EcoDemonstrator
Boeing 777-200 EcoDemonstrator in Seattle, 2019
Welcome back to Brooke In The Air!
Today we're examining how Boeing, one of the world's largest and leading airline manufacturers, is at the head of the environmental aviation industry.
Concern for the environment is nothing new. However, in the world of commercial aviation, concern is taken to new heights, no pun intended. The newest push is for synthetic or hydrogen derived-aviation fuel.
Boeing's EcoDemonstrator is, quite simply, a flight test research program and adjacent aircraft fleet, designed to conceive new ways to make aircraft quieter, more fuel efficient, and safer for the environment and passengers.
Since it's initial debut in 2012, over 230 new technologies have been tested. Some have already been put into production such as mandatory cockpit mounted iPads for pilots to reduce paper consumption, reduce fuel consumption ad well as increase situational awareness with real-time information and allowing custom approaches to airports.
Boeing's named airliner technology programs started in 2001 with the Quiet Technology Demonstrator, and have continued, through the ecoDemonstrator, to the ecoDemonstrator Explorer program announced in April, 2023 - this year-.
THE QUIET TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATOR (QTD)
The EcoDemonstrator program followed the joint Rolls-Royce and Boeing Quiet Technology Demonstrator (QTD) program, which ran in 2001 until 2005 to develop a quieter engine using chevrons on the rear of the nacelle and exhaust nozzles, as well as an acoustically enhanced inlet liner.
In 2001 an American Airlines Boeing 777-200ER with Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines was used for the flight tests. Much of the QTD testing was carried out at Glasgow Industrial Airport, Montana, the airport of Boeing's subsidiary, Montana Aviation Research Company (MARCO).
The tests were, overall, successful, demonstrating better noise reduction than predicted and leading to redesign of wing leading edge de-icing holes to eliminate whistling, a modification which was immediately applied on the 777 production line. Once the QTD2 program began, this program started to be referred to as QTD1.
The resulting design changes were demonstrated in the 2005 Quiet Technology Demonstrator Two (QTD2) program in which a new Boeing 777-300ER, fitted with General Electric GE90-115B engines, was used for a three-week trial, again mainly at Boeing’s flight test centre at Glasgow Industrial Airport. As well as the modifications, the aircraft was equipped with extensive sound measurement equipment, and microphone arrays were laid out around the airfield. The chevrons have since been adopted en masse on the Boeing 737 MAX series, 747-8 and 787 Dreamliner aircraft - the chevrons are a giveaway to whether or not one is traveling on a newer aircraft to this day.
Also thoroughly tested on the QTD2 were streamlined toboggan-style fairings on the main landing gear to reduce noise.
In 2018, a new design of engine inlet liner was flight tested in a successor program, Quiet Technology Demonstrator 3 (QTD3), used acoustic arrays at Moses Lake, Washington, roughly halfway between Seattle and Spokane, WA.
These NASA-designed inlets were installed in the right-hand nacelle of one of Boeing's two 737 MAX 7 prototypes, powered by CFM International LEAP 1B engines. The testing took place between 27 July and 6 August but was not elected to be mass produced and therefore remained a prototype.
The ecoDemonstrator program was formally launched in 2011, with the first flight being in 2012, in partnership with American Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration. The first ecoDemonstrator aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, operated during 2012. Since then a different aircraft has been used each year, excepting 2013 and 2017, with testing operations lasting from a few weeks to over six months. The testing is usually done in collaboration with many industry partners, including NASA, the FAA, airlines, makers of engines, equipment and software, and academic institutions. The results of the tests are rarely publicised, respecting the confidentiality of the industrial partners. Up to 2022, of the roughly 230 technologies tested, about a third have been progressed on to Boeing's products and services.
In 2022, the ninth aircraft in the program, a Boeing 777-200ER wore a special 10th anniversary livery in celebration of the occasion.
In 2023, Boeing has announced that a new test aircraft, a 787-10 Dreamliner would join the small fleet.
PARTICIPATING AIRCRAFT - IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER -
2012: Boeing 737-800
American Airlines’ Boeing 737-800
EcoDemonstrator 2012
This was a new aircraft destined for American Airlines and in their livery. With this, the first ecoDemonstrator, Boeing tested laminar flow technology for winglets, improving fuel efficiency by 1.8 percent. This fed directly into the design of the winglets used on the subsequent 737 MAX series. The aircraft tested other technologies, including:
variable area fan nozzle to optimize engine efficiency
regenerative hydrogen fuel cell for aircraft electrical power
adaptive outer wing trailing edges for greater take-off lift and decreased drag in cruise
active engine vibration control
flightpath optimization for operational efficiency
carpet made from recycled materials
sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
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Boeing’s 787-8 Dreamliner
Note the shortened fuselage
2014: Boeing 787-8
The fourth production 787, a Boeing test airframe, was employed as the second ecoDemonstrator. It conducted 35 projects including:
use of a 15% blend of SAF by both engines for nine flights
acoustic ceramic matrix composite nozzle for weight and noise reduction
aerodynamic and flight control improvements.
advanced wing coatings to reduce ice accumulation.
software applications and connectivity technologies that can improve flight planning, fuel-load optimization, in-flight routing, and landing.
Touchscreen displays on the flight deck.
wireless sensors to reduce wiring, reduce weight and save fuel.
outer wing access doors made from recycled 787 carbon fibre.
dThe fourth production 787, a Boeing test airframe, was employed as the second ecoDemonstrator. It conducted 35 projects including:
use of a 15% blend of SAF by both engines for nine flights
acoustic ceramic matrix composite nozzle for weight and noise reduction
aerodynamic and flight control improvements.
advanced wing coatings to reduce ice accumulation.
software applications and connectivity technologies that can improve flight planning, fuel-load optimization, in-flight routing, and landing.
Touchscreen displays on the flight deck.
wireless sensors to reduce wiring, reduce weight and save fuel.
outer wing access doors made from recycled 787 carbon fibre.
development of the Airborne Spacing for Terminal Arrival Routes (ASTAR) system to reduce spacing between aircraft on approach to airports.
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2015: Boeing 757-200
This aircraft served with United Airlines for 23 years before being used by Boeing for the ecoDemonstrator program. The aircraft was painted in the TUI Group livery as a mark of their collaboration in the project, particularly in the environmental efficiency aspects. NASA's Langley Research Center was also a major participant as part of its Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) project. At the end of the testing period the aircraft was, in conjunction with the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association and the aircraft lessor Stifel, disassembled for recycling. Around 90% of materials were reused or recycled.
Technologies explored included:
Improvement of airflow with insect shields and anti-bug coatings on one wing
active flow control over the vertical tail with the aim of increasing efficiency and reducing its size
Green diesel fuel testing
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2016: Embraer E170
The third E170 prototype first flew in 2002 and was retained by Embraer as a test and demonstration aircraft. It was the only non-Boeing aircraft so far to participate as an EcoDemonstrator. Testing projects included:
use of LIDAR to complement existing air data sensors
Ice-phobic paint to reduce icing and insect debris buildup
new noise-reducing flaps
special sensors to investigate airflow and improve aerodynamics
use of 10% Brazil-produced bio-fuel and 90% standard kerosene.
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FedEx-supplied 777-200F Freighter
2018 EcoDemonstrator
2018: Boeing 777F
FedEx supplied a newly-delivered 777 freighter for use in the ecoDemonstrator program.
After two months of conversion, it was used in the testing program for around three months before restoration to its freighter role. Technologies explored included:
smaller, lighter weight thrust reverser
Safran electrical power distribution system
use of 100% biofuel – the first commercial airliner to be entirely powered by SAF
3D printed titanium tail fin cap using waste material and reducing the weight
synthetic ILS using GPS giving increased reliability and potentially allowing reduced separation of aircraft on approach
wake riding, involving flying closely behind another aircraft to give a fuel efficiency increase of up to 10%
LIDAR clear-air turbulence detector
SOCAS – Surface Operations and Collision Avoidance System, merging radar and video images for obstacle detection
FLYHT Aerospace Solutions’ Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS) for tracking, distress and data-streaming from flight data recorders.
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Boeing 777-200 EcoDemonstrator
2019: Boeing 777-200
This airliner had served Air China since 2001 before Boeing purchased it to join the ecoDemonstrator program. During testing, the aircraft visited Frankfurt, Germany, as several experiments were sponsored by German organisations including the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Diehl Aerospace, and Fraport. Among the 50 projects trialled were:
recyclable cabin carpet tiles
moisture-absorbent toilet floor made from recycled carbon fibre
chromate-free primer for aluminium parts to reduce manufacturing health risks
sharing digital information between air traffic control (ATC), the flight deck and an airline's operations center to optimize routing efficiency and safety
a connected electronic flight bag application to provide re-routing information
connected galleys, lavatories, and cabin temperature and humidity sensors
cameras for an outside view for passengers
Initial 787-10
Similar to the 787-10 used as the EcoDemonstrator in 2020
2020: Boeing 787-10
This new aircraft for Etihad Airways was used for just a few weeks between August and October 2020, with testing mainly carried out at Boeing's Glasgow Industrial Airport, Montana. The program included:
noise measurement with over 1400 sensors for internal and external measurements
noise reduction including Safran undercarriage modifications
SAF testing with blends of 30% to 50%
sanitisation methods for the COVID-19 pandemic.
digital text-based ATC routing communications.
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Boeing 737-MAX 9 on testing flight
Boeing EcoDemonstrator 2021.
(Source: By Jeff Hitchcock, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58002585)
2021: Boeing 737 MAX 9
This 5-month program was conducted with a new airframe originally destined for Corendon Dutch Airlines but was painted in a special Alaska Airlines livery with EcoDemonstrator stickers. In October 2021 the aircraft flew from Seattle to Glasgow, Scotland, for the United Nations COP26 Climate Change Conference, bringing executives from Boeing and Alaska Airlines and fueled by a 50% SAF fuel blend.
The testing program included:
Low profile anti-collision light for weight and drag reduction and increased visibility
Text-based ATC communications
halon-free fire extinguishing (ground testing only)
noise reduction engine nacelles
cabin walls made from recycled material
50% SAF blend
atmospheric greenhouse gas measurement system integration for airliners
Passenger air vent designs to create an air curtain between seat rows.
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Boeing 777-200ER,
Similar to the testbed EcoDemonstrator of 2022 that flew for Singapore Airlines (SQ) and Surinam Airways
2022: Boeing 777-200ER
This aircraft was originally delivered to Singapore Airlines in 2002, and flew most recently for Surinam Airways, a regional airline. It wears a livery celebrating the 10th anniversary of the EcoDemonstrator program. Boeing heavily implied that this aircraft will operate as the EcoDemonstrator test aircraft until mid-2024 however this is contradicted by their 2023 claims, notably their Explorer program; see below.
The company stated that the six-month 2022 program would demonstrate 30 new technologies, among which were:
the use of a 30% SAF blend.
disinfection of water from sinks for reuse in toilet flushing
weight reduction through 3D printed parts.
noise reduction techniques.
vortex generators which retract during cruise.
head-worn head-up display enhanced vision system.
fire-fighting system that does not use Halon.
environmentally-friendly galley cooler refrigerant.
In April 2023 Boeing announced that this same 777-200ER would be testing 19 technologies during the year, including:
cargo hold wall panels made from recycled and sustainable materials.
Fiber-optic fuel quantity sensors compatible with SAF.
smart airport maps by Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen for active airport taxiing monitoring for electronic flight bags.
all flights to use Synthetic Aviation Fuel (SAF) in the highest available blend.
All aircraft apart from the 2022 777 had EcoDemonstrator stickers applied to the fuselage or engine nacelles, at least one retaining them for some time after its participation in the program ended - a nice aesthetic for airplane fans.
2023 & Beyond - EcoDemonstrator Explorer program
Also in April 2023 Boeing announced a new program, with "platforms that will focus on short-term testing of a specific technology,” saying that the first EcoDemonstrator Explorer would be a 787-10 Dreamliner.
Boeing 737-800 contributed by Alaska Airlines for the EcoDemonstrator program.
Starting in June, and based in Seattle, the 787-10 Dreamliner testbed will use the aircraft's technologies along with coordination with the air navigation service providers of the US, Japan, Singapore and Thailand to optimize routings for greatest possible efficiency across variables such as weather, air traffic and airspace closures. It will use the highest available blends of SAF in the process.
Boeing expects that the fuel burn could be reduced by up to 10%. The identity, source and operator of the aircraft were not revealed and still haven't been, though time will tell.
