Performance and emission characteristics of biofuel in a small-scale gas turbine engine

Performance and emissions characteristics of a 30 kW gas turbine engine burning Jet A, soy methyl ester, canola methyl ester, recycled rapeseed methyl ester, hog-fat biofuel, and their 50% (volume) blends in Jet A were studied over a range of throttle settings. The addition of biofuel resulted in a reduction in static thrust and thrust-specific fuel consumption, and increased thermal efficiency. The CO and NO emissions from the turbine were reduced with the biofuel blends. The results suggest that an optimum mixture may be found that reduces pollutant emissions while producing the desired thrust. This study demonstrates that biofuels may serve as viable supplements to petroleum-based fuels.