Your Jet May Become a Prop Plane
Bombardier’s (Commuter Regional Jet) CRJ700 has been in service for over 21 years, and may be about to receive a power system that will make it one of the cleanest alternatives in air travel.
According to electric-flight.eu, “American Airlines plans to convert most of its CRJ700 fleet to environmentally friendly engines,” particularly ZeroAvia’s ZA2000 RJ drive train, electrified by hydrogen fuel cells.
American, a shareholder in ZeroAvia, operates a fleet of CRJ 700s through its American Eagle regional airline subsidiary. Converting the airplanes from their current General Electric CF34-8C1 to hydrogen-fueled ZA2000s will extend the lives of the planes and make them the cleanest things in the sky.
Robert Isom, CEO of American Airlines, said: “To accelerate the transition of commercial aviation to a low-carbon future, investments in promising technologies, including alternative forms of propulsion, are required.”
Val Miftakhov, CEO and founder of ZeroAvia, added, “At this early stage in our work together, to already see a viable pathway to clean propulsion with CRJ aircraft should be absolutely thrilling to everybody who wants us to keep flying. There is some payload and range compromise, but this technical study confirms a viable propulsion architecture and integration which could be utterly transformational. Before the end of the decade airlines could be flying zero-emission jets.”
CRJ700 in MIHRJ livery. It’s not yet known whether craft will have ducted fans or open propellers
Studies by ZeroAvia and Mitsubishi MHIRJ (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Regional Jet) showed that CRJ700s powered by ZA2000s could provide transport for 60 passengers on trips up to 560 nautical miles. Such trips account for 80 percent of all airline flights. Hiro Yamamoto, CEO of the Mitsubishi CRJ element, supports the overall effort. “MHIRJ is proud to work with ZeroAvia and to have completed the initial study to determine the viability of hydrogen propulsion on a regional jet. Confirming that hydrogen-electric propulsion could work for an aircraft like the CRJ is a great step forward towards the decarbonization of regional flying.”
Already touted as the most successful of all regional jets, the CRJ line includes 1,400 CRJ700s in service, a target market for ZeroAvia as its plans with American Airlines come to fruition. Changes in the power system will not markedly change the aerodynamic characteristics of the CRJ. Good news comes from the possibility of reduced operating costs because of the hydrogen fuel and reduced operating costs.
Engineers found that the hot gases expelled from the turbine core could be replaced by the cool blast from the replacement fan, with increased thrust possible from a geared, ducted electric fan or open rotor designs.
Designers assumed a specific power of 2.4 kilowatts per kilogram, with ZeroAvia already demonstrating 2.5 kW/kg. The firm plans to increase that to 3 kW/kg within two years, increasing range and performance.
Having American Airlines as a client means there will be the appropriate level of support in terms of infrastructure and services that will make H2-powered flight a reality. Major changes will be necessary at airports across America to ensure the success of zero-emissions flight.
Expanding the Market
If ZeroAvia’s growing associations with Alaska and American Airlines are not enough, the company plans to release individual components to the general market.
Of course, ZeroAvia will be happy to assist potential customers in creating complete matched packages of components, assuring an integrated, purpose-built fuel and powerplant system.
Featured Image: Electrifly-In