Is Biofuel HVO An Alternative In Aviation? An Infodynamic Comparative Analysis
Miguel R. O. Panão (1), Inês Ferrão (2), Ana S. H. O. Moita (3)
1. ADAI, LAETA, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
2. AeroG, LAETA, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
3. IN+, IST, University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
DOI:
The transition from fossil fuels to sustainable alternatives is imperative. This research evaluates Hydroprocessed Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a substitute for Jet A-1 in aviation. Focusing on droplet sizes in fuel sprays, which are critical for optimizing combustion, we explore an informational perspective for comparative analysis. Integrating information theory principles, we introduce the terms informature, infotropy, and infosensor that quantify and capture the nondeterministic nature of physical systems. Our analysis reveals similar drop size distributions for HVO and Jet A-1, with the Gamma function effectively characterizing the distributions. Both fuels exhibit spray complexity evolving toward higher states, emphasizing the role of aerodynamic forces and minimum development distance in atomization. We propose a novel lexicon, infodynamics, viewing sprays as networks of information flows, with infotropy providing context-rich insights. HVO is endorsed as a viable alternative, with broader implications for sustainable aviation solutions and understanding complex engineering processes.
