"While there is a long way to go for hydrogen aviation to be realized at scale, we hope that our analysis of both onboard system design and enabling infrastructure will be used to prioritize development efforts," said Dharik Mallapragada, a coauthor of the study.
The International Energy Agency reports that the aviation sector's CO2 emissions from energy use have grown more rapidly compared to rail, road, and shipping over recent decades. To address this, scientists are exploring better aircraft design, operational improvements, and low-emission fuels such as hydrogen.
Hydrogen can be used through direct combustion or to power electric fuel cells, offering a substantial advantage because its use results in zero CO2 emissions and it provides more energy per pound than conventional jet fuel.
In the study, Anna Cybulsky, Mallapragada, and colleagues simulated hydrogen's role in powering regional and short-range turboprop aircraft. Their findings indicated that to accommodate the bulkier hydrogen fuel tanks and fuel cells retrofitted onto existing planes, weight reductions in other parts of the aircraft - such as payload - would be necessary.
This could result in additional flights to carry the same number of passengers or cargo. However, improvements in fuel cell power and optimization of the fuel system's gravimetric index could potentially avoid payload reductions and therefore prevent the need for additional flights.
The researchers noted that if hydrogen propulsion technology advances as anticipated, the aviation industry's CO2 emissions could be reduced by up to 90%. However, creating the infrastructure required for hydrogen production and distribution on a large scale is a significant hurdle.
Hydrogen can be produced with a low carbon footprint through natural gas reforming combined with carbon capture or by using electrolysis with renewable or nuclear energy. The latter method could put additional pressure on the electrical grid, highlighting the importance of locating production facilities in regions with stable, low-cost electricity.
According to the researchers, a feasible pathway could involve focusing hydrogen aviation rollout in areas with existing favorable production conditions, such as Hamburg, Germany, or Barcelona, Spain. Additionally, expanding hydrogen production infrastructure for aviation could also support decarbonization in other sectors, such as road transportation and shipping.
Research Report:Challenges of Decarbonizing Aviation via Hydrogen Propulsion: Technology Performance Targets and Energy System Trade-Offs
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