| Combustion-related atmospheric pollutants, both gaseous and particulate, can contribute to short-term health risks, as well as long-term climate change. While aircraft engine emissions may present short-term health risks near airports, aircraft are uniquely able to impact long-term climate change due to their insertion of anthropogenic pollutants in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Aircraft emissions can impact the climate either directly, via emissions of light-scattering particulates, or indirectly, via emission of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) particulates which influence cloud formation, or through heterogeneous reactions in the atmosphere. Carbonaceous aerosol emissions from aircraft engines can directly impact the climate, whereas speciation of sulfur emissions from aircraft engines can indirectly impact the climate by forming submicron, sulfuric acid particles which then form CCN. The number, size and composition of carbonaceous aerosol, and speciation of sulfur in the exhaust, are the main parameters influencing these emissions' fate in the environment and impact on the climate. However, little is understood about the formation of these pollutants within aircraft engines, due in part to the complexity and cost involved in testing these highly engineered machines.; This study examines the feasibility of using a miniature working jet aircraft engine (Sophia J450 Model Jet Engine) to perform lab-scale, controlled tests to explore the formation of aircraft engine emissions. The miniature engine was run at a variety of power levels, and emissions were sampled at the exhaust. Two types of jet fuel (JP-5 and Jet A) and one other fuel (White Gas, or Coleman Fuel) were combusted in the engine. Engine performance is characterized and exhaust carbonaceous aerosol size distribution measurements are compared to full-scale turbojet engines. Measurements were made of sulfur speciation in the exhaust of the miniature jet engine burning Jet A and JP-5 with varying fuel sulfur levels. Differentiation between S(VI) compounds (SO{dollar}sb3{dollar} and H{dollar}sb2{dollar}SO{dollar}sb4){dollar} and SO{dollar}sb2{dollar} were made using a condensation technique to separate the S(VI) from the SO{dollar}sb2.{dollar} Measurements of CO{dollar}sb2{dollar} emissions allowed an emission index of SO{dollar}sb3{dollar} to be calculated for the miniature engine, as well as a percentage conversion of total fuel sulfur. Overall, fuel sulfur conversion rates were found to be 5-25% of total fuel sulfur, with higher conversion rates for lower fuel sulfur levels. |
