Unlocking the Potential of Hydrogen Fuel Cells in Aviation

When it comes to air travel, hydrogen-powered planes may be the way of the future. Although flight has proven to be one of mankind’s greatest achievements, it’s also becoming a significant source of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With more than 100,000 passenger, cargo, and military flights crossing the skies daily, the transportation industry accounts for approximately 2.5%-3% of worldwide CO2 emissions.

And, by 2050, commercial aircraft emissions are projected to triple given the expected growth of passenger air travel and freight.

The air travel industry finds itself at an existential crossroads—continuing on its current path risks exacerbating climate change, yet curtailing its activities could cripple global economies and connectivity. For change to occur, there must be a viable and sustainable solution capable of filling the fossil-fuel gap.

This is where hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen-powered aircraft come into play.

What Are Hydrogen Fuel Cells?

Hydrogen fuel cells are the future of sustainability, carrying significant latent promise that outshines conventional alternatives like solar and wind. These devices convert hydrogen and oxygen reactions into electrical energy, with water as their sole byproduct.

In other words, hydrogen represents a viable solution to the pressing carbon conundrum, particularly within the world of aviation. It’s not only 100% emission-free, but it also offers the high energy density and reliable delivery required to power these massive aircraft.

Blue and green hydrogen, especially—when produced via methods with minimal to no carbon emissions—stand to revolutionize both the energy and aviation sectors, potentially heralding a new era of eco-conscious airfare.

How Do Hydrogen Fuel Cell Systems Work in Planes?

Essentially, hydrogen fuel cell systems transform the conventional plane's fuel consumption design into an electrochemical process capable of entirely eliminating the vehicle’s carbon emissions. As you might imagine, integrating these novel systems into hydrogen-powered aircraft requires a total re-evaluation of traditional aircraft and fuel storage design.

Specifically, three key areas are considered:

1. Fuel storage – With conventional aircraft, jet fuel is stored in the wings. But that’s impossible with hydrogen. Modern hydrogen-powered planes have begun placing a dedicated storage tank that takes up the rear third of the aircraft’s fuselage to store the gaseous substance. Eventually, as the technology progresses, planes will likely switch over to liquid hydrogen which has a higher energy density and, thus, provides a more compact solution.
2. Fuel cell stacks – Hydrogen stored in tanks isn’t directly used as fuel. Instead, when combined with compressed air in stacks of fuel cells, it creates the power necessary to turn the engines.
3. Electricity generation – These hydrogen fuel cell systems generate electricity, with the fuel cell stacks acting as miniature power plants. However, it’s important to note that the output from the fuel cell is direct current (DC), which then has to be converted to alternating current (AC) via inverters to turn the plane’s motor.

Harnessing Hydrogen: Pioneering Test Flights

The dream of hydrogen-powered flight became a reality in 2023 with two projects demonstrating the potential for hydrogen-powered planes.

Universal Hydrogen Moses Lake Flight

In Washington state, Universal Hydrogen successfully executed a test flight using a modified turboprop De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 50-seater plane. The plane flew for approximately 15 minutes and reached an altitude of 2,300 feet, propelled primarily by hydrogen power.

The plane’s unique design incorporated a groundbreaking dual propulsion system; one side hosted a standard engine running on jet fuel, while the other side was equipped with an innovative electric motor powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

According to the test pilot, former US Air Force pilot Alex Kroll: “All the noise was coming from the left side. Once we hit cruise, we throttled back and we flew almost exclusively on the right-hand engine. It was silent.”

Airbus ZEROe

Airbus has also joined the race to produce the world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft. Their ZEROe research and development project explores various configurations and technology options for these future hydrogen aircraft. Their work includes hybrid-hydrogen aircraft that use modified gas turbine engines capable of hydrogen combustion when liquid hydrogen is combined with compressed oxygen.

Ground and flight testing are currently underway, and the company expects to have a finished hydrogen-combustion propulsion system ready for installation as soon as 2025.

The Potential of Hydrogen in Aviation

As the global urgency to combat climate change escalates, the aviation industry's quest for a sustainable solution grows more pressing by the day.

Hydrogen fuel cells have emerged as a beacon of hope, representing the only viable pathway to net zero, not just within aviation but in various other industries. And, these recent test cases are proof-positive that hydrogen could be the sustainable solution that ushers the aviation industry into the 21st century—promising to eliminate air and noise pollution from our skies.

At FASTECH, we’re working at a breakneck speed to facilitate the future of hydrogen. As the country’s leading end-to-end renewable energy provider, we offer engineering, procurement, and construction solutions to fast-track your next hydrogen-based project.

Sources:

OurWorldinData. Climate change and flying: what share of global CO2 emissions come from aviation? https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-aviation#

EESI. Issue Brief: The Growth in Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Commercial Aviation (2019, revised 2022). https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-the-growth-in-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-commercial-aviation#

Popular Science. This plane powered by hydrogen has made an electrifying first flight. https://www.popsci.com/technology/hydrogen-fuel-cell-aircraft-explained/

Seattle Times. Pioneering Moses Lake Flight Uses Hydrogen to Power Regional Airplane. https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/pioneering-moses-lake-flight-uses-hydrogen-to-power-regional-airplane/

Airbus. ZEROe: Towards the world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft. https://www.airbus.com/en/innovation/low-carbon-aviation/hydrogen/zeroe