Into the Future: NASA developing Bug Repellents to Help Reduce Airline Fuel Emissions

In the field of aviation, even a small improvement towards fuel efficiency means saving a large sum of money and lesser harmful emissions in the atmosphere. NASA is taking a big step towards cutting back such emissions and improving fuel efficiency. Scientists from NASA will test the use of non-stick coatings to help repel bugs from the leading edge of wings. Another promising project that NASA has come up with is the use of small devices for blowing jets of air on vertical tails.

Experts from NASA suggest that the accumulation of insect remains usually interrupts the air flow over wings, further increasing the drag and leading to fuel wastage. The increase in drag means increase in fuel consumption, adding air pollutants in the atmosphere.

The ecoDemonstrator is a Boeing 757 airplane, which NASA will fly this spring to check how well the bug repellents work. The experiment will be called Insect Acrretion and Mitigation. NASA claims that by maintaining a smooth surface over the wings, the fuel consumption can be reduced by 6 percent. But, the bug repellents will only be put to use if they are able to withstand harsh flying environments.

This will not only cut down the amount of fuel emissions but will also lead to a reduction in the cost of flying. This is a big step taken by NASA to reduce air pollution from the atmosphere by directly reducing the emission of gases from the aircrafts, which are also responsible for the rise in temperatures. Over the next 30 years, NASA plans to reduce the impact of aviation on the environment by developing aircraft technologies and concepts.

Image Credit (futurastudios.com)