Correlation between Flight Time and Fuel Consumption in Airliner Flight Plan with Trajectory Optimization

Predicting the estimated time of arrival (ETA) plays an essential role in decision support (conflict detection, arrival sequencing, or trajectory optimization) for air traffic controllers. In this paper, a new multiple stages strategy for ETA prediction is proposed based on radar trajectories, including arrival pattern identification, arrival pattern classification, and flight time estimation. First, an intention-oriented trajectory clustering method is developed based on a new trajectory representation technique. Such a proposed trajectory clustering method can group trajectories into different arrival patterns in an efficient way. Second, an arrival pattern classification model is constructed based on random forest and XGBoost algorithms. Then, a flight time regression model is trained for each arrival pattern by using the XGBoost algorithm. Information on current states, historical states, and traffic situations is considered to build the feature set during these processes. Finally, the arrival operation toward Guangzhou International Airport is chosen as a case study. The results illustrate that the proposed method and feature engineering approach could improve the performance of ETA prediction. The proposed multiple stages strategy is superior to the single-model-based ETA prediction.

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A Study of Airline Fuel Planning Optimization Using R-Ga

International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/jera.46.189 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 189-197

Author(s):

Ekene Gabriel Okafor ◽

Osaretin Kole Uhuegho ◽

Christopher Manshop ◽

Paul Olugbeji Jemitola ◽

Osichinaka Chiedu Ubadike

Keyword(s):

Regression Analysis ◽

Fuel Consumption ◽

Large Time ◽

Inequality Constraints ◽

Flight Time ◽

Planning Problem ◽

Study Objective ◽

Planning Optimization ◽

Equality And Inequality Constraints ◽

Human Effort

In this study, airline planning optimization problem based on ferry strategy was considered. Cost was the study objective function subject to forty equality and inequality constraints. Regression analysis as well a genetic algorithm (GA) was used to solve the problem. The mathematical relationship between flight fuel consumption and flight time was established using regression analysis, while GA was used for the optimization. The established mathematical model was used to predict the fuel consumption for the twenty scheduled flight consider based on their respective flight time. The result was found to be satisfactory, as optimal fuel lift plan was achieved in approximately twenty seconds of program run time, as against the large time usually spend using human effort to solve the fuel planning problem. The optimized fuel lift plan was compared with the actual fuel lift plan executed by the airline for the twenty scheduled flight considered. The result revealed thirty percent savings using the optimized plan in comparison to the actual fuel lift plan executed by the airline.

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Study on the Optimization Method of Point Merge Procedure Based on Benefit in the Terminal Area

Mathematical Problems in Engineering ◽

10.1155/2020/5757948 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Yong Tian ◽

Dawei Xing ◽

Lili Wan ◽

Bojia Ye

Keyword(s):

Fuel Consumption ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Flow Distribution ◽

Optimization Method ◽

Flight Time ◽

Pollutant Emission ◽

Flight Operations ◽

Obstacle Clearance ◽

Noise Impact ◽

Terminal Area

With the rapid development of the air transport industry, the problem of airspace congestion and flight delay in the terminal area (TMA) becomes more and more serious. In order to improve the efficiency of flight operations in TMA, point merge procedure had been devised. This paper takes the approach routes in TMA as the research object, taking into account such conditions as obstacle clearance, flight interval, and procedure area. Based on the flight time, fuel consumption, pollutant emission, and noise impact, an optimization model of point merge procedure is constructed. Genetic algorithm is used to optimize the structure of procedure. The Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is selected for simulation verification, and the actual flow distribution of the airport is analyzed as an example. The results show that the average flight time was reduced by 0.26 min, the average fuel consumption was reduced by 1,240.64 kg, the average NOx emissions were reduced by 1.09 kg, and the noise impact range was contracted by 55 km2 after optimization. The point merge procedure optimization method can be expected to reduce the flight time, fuel consumption, and environmental impact of flights in TMA, so as to optimize the aircraft approach trajectory.

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In-Flight Aircraft Trajectory Optimization within Corridors Defined by Ensemble Weather Forecasts

Aerospace ◽

10.3390/aerospace7100144 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (10) ◽

pp. 144 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Martin Lindner ◽

Judith Rosenow ◽

Thomas Zeh ◽

Hartmut Fricke

Keyword(s):

Traffic Control ◽

Traffic Management ◽

Trajectory Optimization ◽

Air Traffic ◽

Weather Data ◽

Parameter Uncertainties ◽

Weather Forecasts ◽

Fuel Savings ◽

Flight Plan ◽

Aircraft Trajectory

Today, each flight is filed as a static route not later than one hour before departure. From there on, changes of the lateral route initiated by the pilot are only possible with air traffic control clearance and in the minority. Thus, the initially optimized trajectory of the flight plan is flown, although the optimization may already be based upon outdated weather data at take-off. Global weather data as those modeled by the Global Forecast System do, however, contain hints on forecast uncertainties itself, which is quantified by considering so-called ensemble forecast data. In this study, the variability in these weather parameter uncertainties is analyzed, before the trajectory optimization model TOMATO is applied to single trajectories considering the previously quantified uncertainties. TOMATO generates, based on the set of input data as provided by the ensembles, a 3D corridor encasing all resulting optimized trajectories. Assuming that this corridor is filed in addition to the initial flight plan, the optimum trajectory can be updated even during flight, as soon as updated weather forecasts are available. In return and as a compromise, flights would have to stay within the corridor to provide planning stability for Air Traffic Management compared to full free in-flight optimization. Although the corridor restricts the re-optimized trajectory, fuel savings of up to 1.1%, compared to the initially filed flight, could be shown.

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An assessment of flight efficiency based on the point merge system at metroplex airports

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology ◽

10.1108/aeat-06-2016-0097 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 90 (1) ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Ozlem Sahin ◽

Oznur Usanmaz ◽

Enis T. Turgut

Keyword(s):

Fuel Consumption ◽

Empirical Model ◽

Service Providers ◽

Control Area ◽

Flight Time ◽

Flight Distance ◽

Data Set ◽

Content Type ◽

International Airport ◽

Entry Points

Purpose Metroplex is a system of two or more airports, in physical proximity, with highly interdependent arrival and departure operations. The purpose of this study is the construction of an efficient and effective air route model based on the point merge system (PMS) to reduce aircraft fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for three metroplex airports in Istanbul terminal control area (TMA). Design/methodology/approach A PMS arrival route model is constructed for metroplex airports. In the proposed model, two situations are taken into consideration: for delay which can be defined as flying on sequencing legs (PMSdel) and for no delay (PMSno del). An empirical model is developed using a data set including the flight data records of ten actual B737-800 domestic flights. With this empirical model, both the baseline and the PMS models (PMSdel and PMSno del) are compared in terms of fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and flight distance and time as a theoretical computation. Findings In the proposed PMSno del arrival route model, according to different entry points for Istanbul Ataturk International Airport (LTBA), the analyses show an average reduction of 26 per cent in flight time, 24.5 per cent in flight distance, 17 per cent in fuel burned and CO2 emissions; in addition, for Sabiha Gökcen International Airport (LTFJ) there are 34, 23 and 32 per cent average savings for flight time, flight distance and fuel burned together with CO2 emissions obtained, respectively. Even if the PMSdel model, for LTFJ except only one entry point, for LTBA except two entry points, better results are obtained than baseline. Practical implications The point merge model for metroplex airports in this paper can be applied by airspace designers and Air Navigation Service Providers to perform efficient and effective arrival routes. Originality/value In this study, a point merge model is constructed for metroplex airports. Quantitative results, using an empirical model, are achieved in terms of fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and flight distance and time at metroplex airports.

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Method to Calculate Aircraft VNAV Trajectory Cost Using a Performance Database

Volume 1: Advances in Aerospace Technology ◽

10.1115/imece2014-37568 ◽

2014 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Alejandro Murrieta-Mendoza ◽

Ruxandra Botez

Keyword(s):

Trajectory Optimization ◽

Calculated Data ◽

Optimization Methods ◽

Fast Method ◽

Computing Power ◽

Flight Plan ◽

Aerodynamic Model ◽

The Given ◽

Equations Of Motions ◽

A Performance

Vertical Navigation (VNAV) trajectory optimization has been identified as a means to reduce fuel consumption. Due to the computing power limitations of devices such as Flight Management Systems (FMSs), it is very desirable to implement a fast method for calculating trajectory cost using optimization algorithms. Conventional trajectory optimization methods solve a set of differential equations called the aircraft equations of motions to find the optimal flight profile. Many FMSs do not use these equations, but rather a set of lookup tables with experimental, or pre-calculated data, called a Performance Database (PDB). This paper proposes a method to calculate a full trajectory flight cost using a PDB. The trajectory to be calculated is composed of climb, acceleration, cruise, descent and deceleration flight phases. The influence of the crossover altitude during climb and step climbs in cruise were considered for these calculations. Since the PDB is a set of discrete data, Lagrange linear interpolations were performed within the PDB to calculate the required values. Given a takeoff weight, the initial and final coordinates and the desired flight plan, the trajectory model provides the Top of Climb coordinates, the Top of Descent coordinates, the fuel burned and the flight time needed to follow the given flight plan. The accuracy of the trajectory costs calculated with the proposed method was validated for two aircraft; one with an aerodynamic model in FlightSIM, software developed by Presagis, and the other using the trajectory generated by the reference FMS.

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Traction-Motor Power Ratio and Speed Trajectory Optimization for Power Split PHEVs Using Route Information

Volume 11: Transportation Systems ◽

10.1115/imece2012-86859 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Mahyar Vajedi ◽

Amir Taghavipour ◽

Nasser L. Azad

Keyword(s):

Fuel Consumption ◽

Trajectory Optimization ◽

Hybrid Electric Vehicles ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Power Ratio ◽

Motor Power ◽

Traction Motor ◽

Power Split ◽

Route Information ◽

Road Grade

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are a promising option for future of transportation. They suggest better fuel economy and less emission compared to conventional HEVs. In this work, a method to find the optimum traction-motor power ratio (TMPR) and speed trajectory for a power-split PHEV is proposed in order to minimize the fuel consumption. The traveling path is divided into several segments. Each segment consists of acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration sections. Also, the route information, such as travel distance, traffic data, the maximum permissible speed, and road grade are known in each segment. The results of simulation show a considerable reduction in the fuel consumption for different energy management strategies; up to 8% in CDCS, 12.9% in manual CDCS, and 18.2% in blended strategy, using the proposed optimum TMPR and speed trajectory.

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Fuel Conservation for Launch Vehicles: Falcon Heavy Case Study

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13030660 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 660 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jozič ◽

Zidanšek ◽

Repnik

Keyword(s):

Fuel Consumption ◽

Low Cost ◽

Equations Of Motion ◽

Rocket Engines ◽

Launch Vehicles ◽

Flight Plan ◽

Initial Stage ◽

Heavy Lift ◽

Significant Burden

Space exploration has recently been growing at an increasing pace and has caused a significant burden to the environment, in particular, during the launch of rockets, when a large amount of fuel is burned and the exhaust gases are released in the air. For this case study, we selected the SpaceX Falcon Heavy reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle, which is one of the most promising rockets for the low-cost lifting of heavy payloads into orbit and beyond. We evaluated several strategies for optimisation of fuel consumption and for minimisation of environmental impact during launch through the atmosphere for the case of its first launch on February 6, 2018, when the rocket carried a red Tesla Roadster with a “Starman” in the direction toward Mars. In addition to the flight plan and Newtonian equations of motion, we have taken into account the thermodynamic properties of the rocket engines. Results are similar but slightly different if one minimises the total fuel consumption for the desired flight plan or if one minimises the environmental pollution during the initial stage of the launch through the atmosphere. The same methodology can be extended for launches in other directions including the Earth orbit and the Moon.

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DEPARTURE TRAJECTORY OPTIMIZATION FOR NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURE IN SOEKARNO-HATTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Jurnal Teknologi Dirgantara ◽

10.30536/j.jtd.2020.v18.a3376 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 141

Author(s):

Vincentius N.S. Suryo ◽

Benedikt Grüter ◽

Johannes Diepolder ◽

Neno Ruseno ◽

Florian Holzapfel

Keyword(s):

Fuel Consumption ◽

Optimal Control Theory ◽

Trajectory Optimization ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Relative Increase ◽

Air Traffic ◽

Noise Emission ◽

Noise Abatement ◽

International Airport ◽

Low Altitude

Air traffic noise emission has been a growing concern for communities living within the vicinity of airports due to a massive increase in air traffic volume in recent years. This work focuses on the noise annoyance problem by optimizing one of the RNAV trajectories, which aims to minimize the noise footprint of a flying aircraft in a low altitude trajectory. Optimal control theory is applied to minimize the number of awakenings caused by a departing aircraft while constraining the relative increase of fuel consumption with regard to a fuel-minimal trajectory. The aircraft simulation model is based on the BADA 3 database, while the noise is modeled according to the ANP database, both published by EUROCONTROL. The methodology is demonstrated for the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) in Jakarta; the result shows the comparison between fuel-minimal trajectories and noise-minimal trajectories for seven aircraft types representing the fleet mix at CGK. The number of awakenings of the noise-minimal trajectories is reduced by 30.33%, with an additional of 5% fuel consumption for the seven aircraft types when compared to the fuel-minimal trajectory.

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Air Traffic Efficiency Analysis of Airliner Scheduled Flights Using Collaborative Actions for Renovation of Air Traffic Systems Open Data

Journal of Advanced Transportation ◽

10.1155/2018/2734763 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Akinori Harada ◽

Tooru Ezaki ◽

Tomoaki Wakayama ◽

Koichi Oka

Keyword(s):

Fuel Consumption ◽

Open Data ◽

Radar Data ◽

Operational Efficiency ◽

Flight Time ◽

Air Traffic ◽

Flight Distance ◽

Civil Aviation ◽

Position Information ◽

Traffic Systems

The increase in air traffic worldwide requires improvement of flight operational efficiency. This study aims to reveal the potential benefits, namely, savings on fuel consumption and flight time, which are expected for Japanese airspace, by statistically evaluating the operational efficiency defined by average differences of fuel consumption, flight time, and flight distance between the original and the optimized flight of domestic flights in Japan. The aircraft position and time data used in this study were obtained from Collaborative Actions for Renovation of Air Traffic Systems Open Data—the radar data released by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. Flight information, such as air data and fuel flow, is estimated by applying meteorological data and aircraft performance model to the position information of radar data. Each reconstructed trajectory is optimized in terms of flight fuel consumption and flight time with an assumed cost index (CI). Dynamic programming is used as the trajectory optimization method. The flight fuel consumption and flight time of the optimized flight are compared with the original values to evaluate the operational efficiency. Herein, approximately one-third of 1-day data, i.e., 1087 cases of four aircraft types, are analyzed with reasonable CI settings. Our research findings suggest that flight fuel consumption and flight distance can be saved by 312 kg and 19.7 km, respectively, on average for the object flights. Following a statistical comparison between the original and the optimized flights, it was observed that two types of features, namely, flying on a detoured path and flying with nonoptimal altitude and speed in the cruise phase, are major factors which deteriorate the total operational efficiency in terms of fuel consumption, flight time, and flight distance.

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