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CHAPTER 3
Evaluating the Results of an Alternative Jet
Fuel CostBenefit Analysis
3.1 Emissions 3.2 Costs
AFIT reports out two categories of pollutants on the "Emis- Specific costs associated with the introduction of an alter-
sions" tab--criteria pollutants and life-cycle greenhouse gases. native fuel depend on individual airport considerations. AFIT
The emission changes are compared to Jet A in the aircraft and was developed to accommodate most possibilities. AFIT is
ULS diesel in the GSE. designed to collect standard fuel-related costs such as
Carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), SOx, and
PM with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM2.5) are · The fuel--the purchase of the product itself, likely from
criteria pollutants.1 These pollutants are broken out by the production facility;
source (aircraft or GSE) and fuel (current or alternative) in · Transportation to the airport--via pipeline, rail, barge,
the "Emissions" tab. The emissions reflected in the "Current truck;
Fuel" table have been adjusted from the EDMS run used as an · Storage--in nearby facilities such as a fuel terminal and on
input file for this analysis. The emissions in the "Alternative the airport property;
Fuel" table reflect the computed emissions from the specific · Fuel handling--blending, filtering and other fees; and
fuel blend entered in the "Setup" tab. If the alternative fuel is · On- and off-airport costs--reflecting inside- and outside-
not used in GSE or aircraft, the emissions will be unchanged airport perimeter differences.
from the baseline (current fuel) emissions. The emission val-
ues shown for alternative fuels include the change in fuel use Annual and monthly consumption amounts for both Jet A
that results from an alternative fuel. and diesel fuels are also relevant since fuel suppliers modify
The GHG emissions from aircraft and GSE are reported in fee structures depending on volume and infrastructure cost
two separate categories--combustion CO2 and life-cycle CO2e scale with volume-related measures (e.g., a 2-million-gallon
(LC CO2e). Combustion CO2 changes by fuel type based on the storage tank costs more to build and maintain than a 1-million-
amount of fuel consumed and the relative carbon content of gallon tank). This also enables conversion of raw costs to cost
the fuel. This is the amount of CO2 emitted due to combustion per gallon for comparison to Jet A and diesel.
and is typically the value included in an airport's GHG inven- Upgrades to GSE seals, gaskets, filters, pumps, and so on and
tory or carbon footprint. LC CO2e reflects the GHG emissions the labor to perform installation are collected. Some discre-
(carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) created during tion should be used with respect to equipment upgrades since
the production of the fuel as well as the combustion CO2. This some portion may occur during normal maintenance intervals.
illustrates the total GHG impact from using a particular fuel. There is also the possibility that certain warrantees may be
The changes in life-cycle emissions will, in general, dwarf any voided, and consideration for these costs must be made. Based
changes in combustion emissions, and these changes are due on conversations with experts in the field, there appears to be
to the details of fuel production, as is discussed briefly in a risk that if you put jet fuel into a diesel engine without first
Appendix D. getting the manufacturer's approval, you then run the risk of
voiding your warranty. Simply put, jet fuel certification cov-
1The AFIT tool was based on the best data that was available at the time of AFIT
ers jet engines. It does not automatically cover diesel engines.
publication. However, additional testing of the emissions from alternative fuel
combustion was ongoing at that time, and additional work was being devoted to While there may not be an issue with the GSE engine warranty,
estimating life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions. this represents a potential cost that has not yet been completely
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resolved. By definition, a "drop-in" fuel is fully compatible 3.3 Health Benefits from Improved
with aircraft engine specifications, and it is assumed that no Air Quality
aircraft-related costs are incurred. It is anticipated that GSE
upgrade costs will be expensed in the year in which they are Atmospheric PM2.5, a criteria air pollutant that has been
linked to respiratory illnesses and premature mortality, results
incurred, for accounting purposes; however, a fundamental
from primary PM emissions as well as emissions of NOx, SOx,
determination must be made regarding capital costs or the
and unburned hydrocarbons. These latter pollutants, which
avoidance of them. AFIT is able to collect cost estimates in
are referred to as secondary PM precursors, are transformed in
cases where the fuel will be dispensed through existing equip-
the atmosphere into aerosol PM, also referred to as secondary
ment and infrastructure at the airport and in situations where
PM. Secondary PM is significantly more prevalent on a mass
substantial new infrastructure development will be under-
basis than primary PM. Emissions from aircraft, GSE, and
taken, such as with a new airport or a major expansion of the
other equipment and vehicles around an airport contribute to
current facility. The reason this is important is that an alterna-
both primary and secondary atmospheric PM. The alternative
tive fuel compatible with both aircraft and GSE would reduce
fuels considered in AFIT have the potential to reduce PM2.5
costs since two fueling systems would be replaced by a single
through a reduction in both primary PM and SOx, which yields
system. AFIT is constructed to accommodate both circum- health benefits. The report includes an analysis of the impact
stances and converts monthly capital financing charge esti- of using both ULS and SPK blends on the air quality in the
mates into a per-gallon fuel cost estimate. region surrounding Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport.
AFIT converts and sums all costs into a per-gallon estimate
for comparison with existing Jet A and diesel usage. Monthly
and annual cost data are provided to assist with tracking and 3.4 Making the Decision to Use
accounting. The analyst can input various costs and quantities an Alternative Jet Fuel
of equipment affected, and AFIT updates the cost-per-gallon The analysis conducted by AFIT is meant to inform the user
estimates, which can be compared to existing fuel costs. about the potential economic costs and changes in emissions
AFIT intentionally does not provide a cost and benefit cal- that could result from switching to an alternative fuel. The
culation as that is the purview of the analyst. It is designed to results are best viewed as a screening assessment of whether an
assist with categories of likely costs and also provides default airport should consider an alternative jet fuel for use in aircraft
estimates should the user not have specific data pertinent to and/or diesel-engine GSE. If the emission reduction benefits
the user's facility. These estimates were collected from a range identified by AFIT are significant enough for the airport to seri-
of sources and represent an approximation for use only when ously consider using an alternative fuel, a more-detailed engi-
airport-specific values are not available. neering study will be required to fully quantify all costs.
