Airbus is developing a hydrogen-powered fuel
cell engine that may be used to power the company’s zero-emission
aircraft, expected to enter service by 2035.
The French aerospace company is planning to
commence ground and flight testing the
fuel cell engine architecture onboard its ZEROe demonstrator
aircraft towards the middle of the decade.
The A380 MSN1 flight
test aircraft for new hydrogen technologies is currently being
modified to carry liquid hydrogen tanks and their associated
distribution systems.
“Fuel cells are a potential solution to help us
achieve our zero-emission ambition and we are focused on
developing and testing this technology to understand if it is
feasible and viable for a 2035 entry-into-service of a
zero-emission aircraft,” said Glenn Llewellyn, VP Zero-Emission
Aircraft, Airbus. “At scale, and if the technology targets were
achieved, fuel cell engines may be able to power a one hundred
passenger aircraft with a range of approximately 1,000 nautical
miles. By continuing to invest in this technology we are giving
ourselves additional options that will inform our decisions on the
architecture of our future ZEROe aircraft, the development of
which we intend to launch in the 2027-2028 timeframe.”
Airbus identified hydrogen as one of the most
promising alternatives to power a zero-emission aircraft because
it emits no carbon dioxide when generated from renewable energy,
with water being its most significant by-product.
There are two ways hydrogen can be used as a power
source for aircraft propulsion. First via hydrogen combustion in a
gas turbine, second, by using fuel cells to convert hydrogen into
electricity in order to power a propeller engine. A hydrogen gas
turbine can also be coupled with fuel cells instead of batteries
in a hybrid-electric architecture.
Hydrogen fuel cells, especially when stacked
together, increase their power output allowing scalability. In
addition, an engine powered by hydrogen fuel cells produces zero
NOx emissions or contrails thereby offering additional
decarbonisation benefits.
Airbus has been exploring the possibilities of
fuel cell propulsion systems in aviation for some time. In
October 2020, the company created Aerostack, a joint venture with
ElringKlinger, a company with over 20 years of experience as both
a fuel cell systems and component supplier. In December 2020,
Airbus presented its pod-concept which included six removable fuel
cell propeller propulsion systems.
