WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Nov. 18 (UPI) -- A new federally funded facility now under construction at Purdue University will be used to test aircraft engines and develop new aviation fuels.
Officials said the National Test Facility for Fuels and Propulsion, being funded with a $1.35 million grant from the U.S. Air Force, will be housed in the Niswonger Aviation Technology Building at the university's Airport.
"The aerospace industry now has an unprecedented interest in developing green aircraft using biofuels," said Associate Professor David Stanley, one of the project's principal investigators. "Testing will be conducted while fuels are being researched for development. This means input will be provided during the development phase, not after the fuel has been developed, which helps to ensure the best results possible."
The facility is expected to begin operations in late 2010 or early 2011, with work focused on jet engines, but including some testing of piston engines, officials said.
The project's co-principal investigators are Professors Denver Lopp and J. Mark Thom.
