‘Why planes will be powered by hydrogen before batteries’

(CNBC)

With 4.5 billion passenger trips taken each year and more
than 16 million planes taking off in the U.S. every year,
aircraft are responsible for 2.5% of global CO2 emissions,
according to the Global Carbon Project, and the problem is
growing. One proposed solution rivals the power of fossil
fuels without the emissions — hydrogen. With the industry
attempting to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, both
big players like Airbus and startups alike are exploring
the technology.

“Airbus has been looking at hydrogen for a long time and

recently, within the last years, has increased that focus.
Looking at both hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen
combustion” says Martha Neubauer, senior associate at
AeroDynamic Advisory.

Airbus announced concept designs for several zero-

emission, hydrogen-powered planes in 2020 and intends
to test a hydrogen engine on an A380 in 2026.

Two startups, ZeroAvia and Universal Hydrogen, are also

pursuing hydrogen-powered aircraft. Both have recently
completed test flights with regional-sized planes and are
hoping to enter the market by 2025. But significant
challenges lie ahead, from getting regulatory approval to
developing the hydrogen infrastructure.

‘Hydrogen-powered aircraft design’

(Siemens)
Switching to carbon-neutral propulsion systems is a top priority for aircraft
manufacturers. When it comes to green aviation, aerospace engineers are caught
between market demand and the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC). They are tasked with designing next-generation
aircraft capable of transport with the capacity, speed and range of kerosene-
fueled jet engines but without the environmental impact.

Green aviation efforts have brought some exciting challenges to aircraft

development. Read this white paper to learn more about the potential of
hydrogen aircraft technology. Aerospace companies are currently performing
extensive evaluations, in some cases creating concepts and prototypes of
hydrogen and hydrogen-hybrid aircraft. These activities are the beginning of a
decades-long effort of reimagining aircraft configurations and addressing
materials, supply chains, energy production, distribution and logistics networks,
airport fuel deliver systems and more.

One of the bigger challenges of hydrogen-powered aircraft is that it’s new

territory for many engineers. Designing a burner for a hydrogen gas turbine, for
instance, requires special features and structures. Then there’s the nature of
hydrogen, which burns much faster and hotter than kerosene. It is also necessary
to understand the fluid dynamics along with any stresses that occur at thermal
boundary conditions of hydrogen and electric-powered propulsion systems –
including the operational phenomena they encounter such as flashbacks,
thermoacoustics, thermal gradients and embrittlement.