Airbus and CFM: Flying on Hydrogen Power by 2035

Dean Sigler Announcements, Fuel Cells, hydrogen, Hydrogen Fuel, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Airbus and engine maker CFM International have signed a partnership agreement on a hydrogen demonstration program that could see commercial flights by 2035.  CFM is a 50/50 joint company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines.

The team announced its intentions in an hour-long introduction on February 22, with members from the companies explaining the goals of the project.  A view of what they intend to do with Airbus 380 serial number one gives a view inside the cavernous craft.

As pointed out in a Green Car Congress article, the main objective is to develop and flight test a direct combustion engine fueled by liquid hydrogen.

The Biggest Test Bed

ZeroAvia seeks to get a 20-passenger liner in flight by 2024 and scale up to a 200-seat craft with 3,000 mile range by 2035.  Jeff Engler’s Wright Electric is working on a BAe 146 with short-range aspirations for its 100-passenger, hydrogen fuel cell or aluminum cell-powered airplane by 2026.  (We will have an entry on that soon.)  Airbus hopes to apply lessons learned from its A380, up to 800-seat test bed to an as yet undetermined commercial project.

Why use the A380, mostly retired from service now?  Airbus kept A380 MSN1, the first production unit, following its 2005 first flight and subsequent testing.  Its capacious interior allows lots of room for test gear, liquid hydrogen tanks and fuel systems to the single test engine.

X-Ray view shows hydrogen tanks, which will be sealed in a hermetic chamber

According to Simpleflying.com, Airbus had the A380, its huge size enabled placement of running gear in multiple locations, and the plane has four engines, twice the redundancy of twin-engine alternatives

Mathias Andriamisaina, Airbus ZEROe Demonstrator Leader, expands on the plane’s strong points.  “The A380 MSN1 is an excellent flight laboratory platform for new hydrogen technologies. It’s a safe and reliable platform that is highly versatile to test a wide range of zero-emission technologies. In addition, the platform can comfortably accommodate the large flight test instrumentation that will be needed to analyze the performance of the hydrogen in the hydrogen-propulsion system.”

Inside, near the rear (“caudal – of or like a tail”) of the fuselage, Airbus will mount four liquid hydrogen fuel tanks.  As shown in the video, a series of monitoring and control stations will oversee the operation of the systems.

The tanks will be in a huge hermetically sealed container, keeping external air out and any leaked hydrogen inside.  This expedient could prevent an on-board fire.

Outside, mounted between two doors on the double-decker plane’s upper level, a GE Passport turbofan modified for the tests will be attached to a short wing.  Mounted high and to the rear, engine emissions can be monitored separately from those produced by the four engines powering the jumbo jet.

GE Passport turbofan will be modified to allow use of H2 as fuel

Before the flight test is conducted with the A380 platform, CFM will perform a ground test program with the GE engine. The GE Passport turbofan’s advantages for the hydrogen demonstration program include its size, advanced turbomachinery, and fuel flow capability.  (Photo: GE)

On its web site, GE explains what is being done to prepare their turbofan to use hydrogen.  “The engineers at GE Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines — a team that already numbers 100 and is growing fast — are working to modify a GE Passport jet engine. This includes a complete overhaul of its combustor, fuel system and controls system to make them compatible with liquid hydrogen fuel. The group picked the Passport because of its size, advanced turbomachinery and ability to operate at the appropriate pressures and temperatures for the flight platform.”

Why Hydrogen?

Historically, hydrogen extraction from natural gas was an expensive and energy intense process.  This was called grey or brown hydrogen because of the “dirty” processes used in the extraction Newer methods of water splitting rely on wind or solar energy to do the work, making for clean, “green” hydrogen.  As H2 becomes more plentiful and less expensive, it becomes an alternative fuel that may become economically viable.

It’s pitted against “Sustainable Aviation Fuel,” or SAF, often plant based (or made from used cooking oil or rendered animal fats).   At this time, it’s about twice as expensive as conventional gasoline or kerosene, according to a CNBC report.  Those costs get passed along to the passenger, who may skip the trip.

Hydrogen-powered aircraft will require large infrastructure investments

 

Another CNBC report shows a certain uncertainty in which sustainable fuel will win out in the long run.  Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary is dubious.  “I don’t see the arrival of … hydrogen fuels, I don’t see the arrival of sustainable fuels, I don’t see the arrival of electric propulsion systems, certainly not before 2030.”

Guillaume Faury. CEO of Airbus, has a more optimistic view.  “We need to see the SAF industry moving forwards, being developed, being grown to serve airlines and to be able to use that capacity of 50-percent of SAF.  We’ll go to 100 percent by the end of the decade.”

SAF represented a “very important part of what we’re doing.  The next one is looking at the mid-term and long-term future to bring to the market the hydrogen plane because this is really the ultimate solution.”  (Italics added by your editor)

As the aviation industry plans for substantial reduction, and possible elimination of aerial pollution, and even vapor trails, it’s facing one of its biggest challenges.  The results will benefit us all.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *