MIT team proposes SCR emission control for hybrid aviation turbines; reducing NOx by 95%
At cruising altitude, airplanes emit a steady stream of NO
x into the atmosphere, where the chemicals can linger to produce ozone and fine particulates. Previous research has shown that the generation of these chemicals due to global aviation results in 16,000 premature deaths each year.
Now, MIT engineers are proposing using an ammonia-based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system that could result in an approximately 95% reduction in NO
x emissions in exchange for a ~0.5% increase in block fuel burn. The details of the design, including analyses of its potential fuel cost and health impacts, are published in an open-access paper in the journal
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At cruising altitude, airplanes emit a steady stream of nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, where the chemicals can linger to produce ozone and fine particulates. Nitrogen oxides, or NOx, are a major source of air pollution and have been associated with asthma, respiratory disease, and cardiovascular disorders. Previous research has shown that the generation of these chemicals due to global aviation results in 16,000 premature deaths each year.
Now MIT engineers have come up with a concept for airplane propulsion that they estimate would eliminate 95 percent of aviation s NOx emissions, and thereby reduce the number of associated early deaths by 92 percent.
Caption: The new design could reduce global nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 95 percent. Credits: Image: Courtesy of the researchers
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At cruising altitude, airplanes emit a steady stream of nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, where the chemicals can linger to produce ozone and fine particulates. Nitrogen oxides, or NOx, are a major source of air pollution and have been associated with asthma, respiratory disease, and cardiovascular disorders. Previous research has shown that the generation of these chemicals due to global aviation results in 16,000 premature deaths each year.
Now MIT engineers have come up with a concept for airplane propulsion that they estimate would eliminate 95 percent of aviation’s NOx emissions, and thereby reduce the number of associated early deaths by 92 percent.