Date of Award

8-2016

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics

Department

Aeronautics and Astronautics

First Advisor

Daniel A. Delaurentis

Committee Chair

Daniel A. Delaurentis

Committee Member 1

Buyung Agusdinata

Committee Member 2

William A. Crossley

Abstract

The Fleet Level Environmental Evaluation Tool (FLEET) can assess environmental impacts of various levels of technology and environmental policies on fleet-level carbon emissions and airline operations. FLEET consists of different models to mimic airlines' behaviors and a resource allocation problem to simulate airlines' aircraft deployments on their networks. Additionally, the Multiactors Biofuel Model can conduct biofuel life-cycle assessments and evaluate biofuel developments and assess the effects of new technology on biofuel production costs and unit carbon emissions as well.

In addition, the European Union (EU) initiated an Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) in the European Economic Area, while International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is designing a Global Market-Based Measure (GMBM) scheme to limit civil aviation fleet-level carbon emissions after 2021. This work integrates the FLEET and the Multiactors Biofuel Model together to investigate the interactions between airline operations, biofuel production chains, and environmental policies. The interfaces between the two models are bio-refinery firm profit maximization problem and farmers' profits maximization problem. The two maximization problems mimic the bio-refinery firms and farmers behaviors based on environmental policies, airlines performances, and biofuel developments.

In the current study, limited impacts of biofuels on fleet-level emissions due to the inconsistency between biofuel demand and feedstock resource distributions and feedstock supplies were observed. Furthermore, the main driving factor for biofuel developments besides newer technologies was distinguished. Conventional jet fuel prices have complex impacts on biofuel developments because conventional jet fuel prices increase biofuel prices and decrease potential biofuel demands at the same time. In the end, with simplified EU ETS and ICAO GMBM models, the integrated tool represents that EU ETS model conducts lower emissions in a short term, while the ICAO GMBM model has greener long-term effects.

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