Electric airplanes face one major hurdle – batteries are extremely heavy and very inefficient to lift into the air. Liquid hydrogen may be the answer for a more sustainable airline industry. A UK-backed research group has unveiled a design for a liquid hydrogen-powered airliner which could match the performance of current midsize aircraft without producing carbon emissions.
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According to the Aerospace Technology Institute, the FlyZero concept envisions a plane carrying 279 passengers, non-stop from London to San Francisco at the same speed and comfort as today. The partnership was formed between the UK government and members of the airline industry itself, and is meant to accelerate high-risk projects that will benefit home-grown aerospace firms.
“These designs could define the future of aerospace and aviation,” said business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng in the statement. “By working with industry, we are showing that truly carbon-free flight could be possible, with hydrogen a frontrunner to replace conventional fossil fuels.”
As is the case with all new sustainable technologies, it is still prohibitively expensive to be used in the industry, and the infrastructure to lower the prices significantly still needs to be built. It will take years to develop the planes and build infrastructure such as airport refuelling capacity.
The current expectation is that hydrogen aircraft will be operating from the mid-2030s offering better economics than conventional planes. The FlyZero project will publish detailed concepts for regional, narrow-body and midsize aircraft, with technology road maps, market and economic reports and a sustainability assessment, the group said, to be made public early in 2022.
The midsize aircraft would store hydrogen at -250°C in cryogenic fuel tanks at the rear of the plane and in two smaller “cheek” tanks along the forward fuselage to keep the aircraft balanced. It would have a wingspan of 54m, between Boeing’s 767 and 787 twin-aisle jets, and be powered by two turbofan engines.
While Boeing hasn’t set plans for a hydrogen plane, rival Airbus has targeted a commercial airliner for entry into service by 2035. The European company has told the EU that a model carrying more than 150 passengers won’t be in wide use until 2050.
