Airbus plans to incorporate hydrogen for large passenger aircraft, and zero-emission aircraft; explores various hydrogen uses.
Here’s an article posted in Green Car Reports.
According to the article,
- Airbus plans to design, build, and demonstrate a “megawatt-class propulsion system” for a large-scale passenger aircraft featuring hydrogen fuel-cell tech with cryogenic hydrogen storage in less than four years.
- The company sees hydrogen as a “very compelling option” in its quest to bring zero-emission aircraft to market by 2035.
- Hydrogen fuel-cell tech might replace some jet engines on a smaller scale before the internal-combustion engine is completely banished from cars.
Hydrogen fuel cells are significantly more efficient than traditional jet engines, here’s why:
- Hydrogen fuel cells can convert up to 60% of the energy stored in hydrogen into usable electrical power. This is achieved through an electrochemical process that directly converts chemical energy into electricity without combustion, resulting in higher efficiency compared to traditional engines.
- In contrast, traditional jet engines, such as those using kerosene, typically operate at an efficiency of around 30-40%. This means a significant amount of energy is lost as heat during the combustion process.
- Fuel cells are more efficient in converting fuel energy into thrust, especially in hybrid configurations where they can work alongside electric motors. This can lead to better overall performance in terms of fuel consumption per distance traveled.
- Traditional combustion engines, while powerful, often suffer from lower operational efficiency due to the thermodynamic limitations of the combustion process, leading to higher fuel consumption for the same thrust output.
- Also, fuel cells produce only water vapor as a byproduct, making them a cleaner alternative with no greenhouse gas emissions during operation, while traditional jet engines emit carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), contributing to air pollution and climate change.
- Fuel cells are generally lighter than traditional jet engines, which can be advantageous in aircraft design, allowing for more payload capacity or additional fuel storage.
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