Rotorcraft
Emissions-reducing diesel under study at Eurocopter
Eurocopter’s new high-compression, diesel engine is expected to bring better environmental performance to turbine-powered helicopters as large as the EC 13

Eurocopter’s new high-compression, diesel engine is expected to bring better environmental performance to turbine-powered helicopters as large as the EC 135.
The goal of the program is to reduce CO2 emissions by 40 percent and NOx emissions by 53 percent. The company announced the program, dubbed “Bluecopter,” at the Paris Air Show in June.

Olivier Jouis, head of Eurocopter’s environmental affairs, told AIN that Eurocopter has worked with MB Tech, a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, to derive the engine from an existing one in Mercedes’ E-class cars. A 30-percent reduction in specific fuel consumption translates into a 40-percent cut in CO2 emissions (measured against distance), according to Eurocopter calculations. These numbers use helicopters of the 2000 generation, such as the EC 120 and the EC 135, as a reference.