The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has become a technological milestone and is set to shape the way we fly. It had its first test flight on December 15th in Washington and the successful flight means the start of a brand new generation of air craft.
This aeroplane is the world’s first commercial aeroplane that was created from one piece of fuselage and composite materials. This in turn makes the aeroplane light and therefore fuel efficient although it is just as quick as the others on the market. With more and more of us focused on being eco friendly the Dreamliner was created with this in mind. The decrease in weight has meant that it will use 20% less fuel than a plane of a similar size, it also has lower emissions.
Not only this, but it has larger windows at eye level that don’t have the plastic cover. This is because the windows are designed to act in the same way that tinted windows do in cars. It is possible for the passenger to adjust the amount of light that is shining through the window.
This new plane can carry between 200 and 300 passengers and they will have a much more enjoyable experience than in other planes due to increased humidity which means passengers are less likely to suffer from airsickness and there are also increased levels of oxygen supplies. On top of this they have an air conditioning system which is very advanced meaning the air supplied is of a better quality. This is done by filters which remove bacteria viruses and fungi. All this combined will mean that there will be fewer aeroplane colds.
As well as a reduced risk of becoming ill there is also more storage space on board along with improved lighting. Those that designed the air craft also made sure they made the planes friendlier for those with disabilities. One example of this is that there is a partition between two toilet cubicles that can be removed in order to make one wheelchair accessible toilet.
So far worldwide 57 airlines have put in their orders which total to 876 Dreamliners and it is now the fast selling jetliner to date.
With the world very eco and money conscious at the moment it is no surprise that when it comes to cars everything is looking to reduce their CO2 emissions and their costs. However Volkswagen have come up with an unusual solution to going green. When we think of CO2 we usually associated this with having a negative impact on the environment but Volkswagen have decided that they are now going to use it in their refrigerant in mobile air conditioning systems across all of its vehicles.
They reached this decision because the refrigerant known as R744 actually has low global warming potential of just “one”. This figure is 99.3% below what the EU specify which is 150 in MAC (mobile air conditioning) systems. In most MAC systems at the moment the refrigerant used, R134 and according to statistics reported by the US Environmental Protection Agency has a global warming potential of 1,300.
Investigations into reducing emissions from MACs have been ongoing since the 1990s. There was nearly a decision for the refrigerant R1234 to be chosen although Daimler found safety issues with it. This was discovered in September of last year through their internal tests so decided against using the refrigerant and BMW and Volkswagen also chose not to.
The chosen refrigerant by Volkswagen is CO2 because it is viewed as an A1 refrigerant and is also not flammable with limited amounts of toxicity. It is also the least likely refrigerant to have an impact on the environment.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has become a technological milestone and is set to shape the way we fly. It had its first test flight on December 15th in Washington and the successful flight means the start of a brand new generation of air craft.
This aeroplane is the world’s first commercial aeroplane that was created from one piece of fuselage and composite materials. This in turn makes the aeroplane light and therefore fuel efficient although it is just as quick as the others on the market. With more and more of us focused on being eco friendly the Dreamliner was created with this in mind. The decrease in weight has meant that it will use 20% less fuel than a plane of a similar size, it also has lower emissions.
Not only this, but it has larger windows at eye level that don’t have the plastic cover. This is because the windows are designed to act in the same way that tinted windows do in cars. It is possible for the passenger to adjust the amount of light that is shining through the window.
This new plane can carry between 200 and 300 passengers and they will have a much more enjoyable experience than in other planes due to increased humidity which means passengers are less likely to suffer from airsickness and there are also increased levels of oxygen supplies. On top of this they have an air conditioning system which is very advanced meaning the air supplied is of a better quality. This is done by filters which remove bacteria viruses and fungi. All this combined will mean that there will be fewer aeroplane colds.
As well as a reduced risk of becoming ill there is also more storage space on board along with improved lighting. Those that designed the air craft also made sure they made the planes friendlier for those with disabilities. One example of this is that there is a partition between two toilet cubicles that can be removed in order to make one wheelchair accessible toilet.
So far worldwide 57 airlines have put in their orders which total to 876 Dreamliners and it is now the fast selling jetliner to date.
Volkswagen choose CO2 as a Refrigerant
With the world very eco and money conscious at the moment it is no surprise that when it comes to cars everything is looking to reduce their CO2 emissions and their costs. However Volkswagen have come up with an unusual solution to going green. When we think of CO2 we usually associated this with having a negative impact on the environment but Volkswagen have decided that they are now going to use it in their refrigerant in mobile air conditioning systems across all of its vehicles.
They reached this decision because the refrigerant known as R744 actually has low global warming potential of just “one”. This figure is 99.3% below what the EU specify which is 150 in MAC (mobile air conditioning) systems. In most MAC systems at the moment the refrigerant used, R134 and according to statistics reported by the US Environmental Protection Agency has a global warming potential of 1,300.
Investigations into reducing emissions from MACs have been ongoing since the 1990s. There was nearly a decision for the refrigerant R1234 to be chosen although Daimler found safety issues with it. This was discovered in September of last year through their internal tests so decided against using the refrigerant and BMW and Volkswagen also chose not to.
The chosen refrigerant by Volkswagen is CO2 because it is viewed as an A1 refrigerant and is also not flammable with limited amounts of toxicity. It is also the least likely refrigerant to have an impact on the environment.