Methodologies for Aviation Emission Calculation - A comparison of alternative approaches towards 4D global inventories

Abstract

The thesis deals with the production of emission inventories for global aviation. Results of such calculations, which can be performed at four-dimensional resolution, are typically used in models of the global atmosphere to determine the effects of aviation on climate change. The thesis was composed in cooperation between Berlin University of Technology, Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne, Section Air Transport and Airport Research. Chapter 1 contains general information on gaseous emissions of modern transport aircraft and their potential effects on global warming. Chapter 2 covers the “state-of-the-art” in inventory production with an emphasis placed on alternative approaches regarding the following aspects: (1) The processing of flight schedules, flight plans and radar trajectories to create a movements database for global aviation. (2) Methods for aircraft performance calculation to determine the fuel consumption in various flight phases. (3) Correlation methods to calculate in-flight engine emissions and (4) The usage of the above mentioned methods to produce emission inventories of global aviation at three- or four-dimensional resolution. Furthermore, simplifications and sources of errors are identified and assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively on the basis of scientific literature. Based on the interrelations mentioned above, chapter 3 gives an overview on specific inventories produced in recent years. A comparison in terms of methodology and results is performed. The chapter covers inventories for global aviation composed in the 1990s (NASA, DLR-2, ANCAT/EC-2) and – in more detail – inventories from the last 5 years (NASA 1999, AERO2k and SAGE). A comparison of results is performed for aviation fuel-use and emissions of nitric oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC).