Fuel-Optimal Trajectory Generation for Persistent Contrail Mitigation

A future air traffic management system capable of rerouting aircraft trajectories in real time in response to transient and evolving events would result in increased system efficiency, better use of the airspace, and decreased environmental impact. Persistent contrail formation is thought to be resp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of guidance, control, and dynamics control, and dynamics, 2013-11, Vol.36 (6), p.1741-1750
Main Authors: Campbell, Scot E, Bragg, Michael B, Neogi, Natasha A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air traffic management
Aircraft
Aircraft fuels
Airlines
Airspace
Altitude
Approximation
Aviation
Climate change
Contrails
Dynamical systems
Dynamics
Emissions
Energy consumption
Environmental impact
Fuel consumption
Horizon
Integer programming
Linear programming
Mixed integer
Trajectories
Trajectory optimization
Trajectory planning
Velocity
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Summary:A future air traffic management system capable of rerouting aircraft trajectories in real time in response to transient and evolving events would result in increased system efficiency, better use of the airspace, and decreased environmental impact. Persistent contrail formation is thought to be responsible for a significant portion of the environmental impact of aviation, and this impact is expected to grow over time. Therefore, it is important to explore a method to reduce the impact of persistent contrail formation. Mixed-integer linear programming is used within a receding horizon framework to form aircraft trajectories that mitigate persistent contrail formation while seeking a minimum fuel solution. A novel path-planning approach is presented, which uses a penalty approach within a receding horizon framework. In a single-flight scenario, 48% of persistent contrails are eliminated with a 0.5% increase in fuel consumption. This is compared to a 6.2% increase in fuel consumption for absolute contrail avoidance. An analysis of this route for 20 days of atmospheric data shows that 58% of persistent contrails can be avoided with a 0.48% increase in fuel consumption.
ISSN:0731-5090
1533-3884
DOI:10.2514/1.55969