Just with the hydrogen plane from Berlin to Rome? If it’s up to the industry, it should be possible in the next decade. The heavyweight Airbus is planning a market-ready hydrogen-powered passenger jet by 2035. But Airbus is not alone in tinkering with the technology. Away from the public eye, German start-up H2Fly has been working on hydrogen planes for years – and soon wants to be ahead of the market leader.
As early as 2016, the Stuttgart-based company had its four-seat test aircraft HY4 in the air – according to the German Aerospace Center (DLR), at the time the largest aircraft powered purely by hydrogen. In two years it will be ten times as large: according to H2Fly boss Josef Kallo, a 40-seater Dornier with a range of 2000 kilometers will fly purely on hydrogen for the first time – thus forming the basis for commercial use.
The fuel cell systems required for this are currently being combined into a total system. Later this year, this will be linked to a liquid hydrogen tank on the ground. “In 2024, the whole will be installed in the aircraft and also tested on the ground,” says Kallo. In 2025 it will then have to take to the air for the first time. The HY4 currently has a capacity of 120 to 150 kilowatts. Now the next step is to move to one megawatt. With current technologies about 4 megawatts can be achieved – that’s about enough for a 60 to 80 seater.
Stuttgart will have a hydrogen center
To accelerate development at Stuttgart Airport, a center for hydrogen-electric flying is to be built there by the end of 2024 under the leadership of H2Fly. The project partners announced on Monday that a new warehouse with test setups, workshops, laboratories and other workplaces is planned. “The center makes an important contribution to the future of zero-emission aviation,” said Anna Christmann, the federal government’s aerospace coordinator.
“Hydrogen in aviation is now not just a playground for curious researchers, it is a tough competition,” said Baden-Württemberg Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens). Ultimately, the question is who has the first hydrogen aircraft. Baden-Württemberg is in a good position there.
However, the development of hydrogen propulsion systems for aviation is not only being promoted in Stuttgart. For example, the Anglo-American company ZeroAvia started a first flight with a 6-seater in 2020 and even launched a 19-seater in January of this year – however, only one of the two engines was replaced by a fuel cell engine, the other worked on kerosene.
Startups test new regional jets
A wide range of start-ups and established manufacturers are targeting commercial business jets with up to 19 seats in the next five years, explains Björn Nagel, head of the DLR Institute for System Architectures in Aviation. “Regional jets with up to 70 seats could become possible within a decade.”
For example, the German engine manufacturer MTU Aero is aiming for fuel cell propulsion systems for aircraft that can transport 50 to 100 passengers over 1,800 kilometres. “That’s enough for about three-quarters of all European routes,” CEO Lars Wagner recently told the “Münchner Merkur”.
Airbus aims to have a hydrogen-powered commercial airliner on the market by 2035. With 100 to 200 seats, the machine could offer about the same capacity as the current medium-haul jets of the A320neo family. Recently, however, the group has made its plans dependent on expanding the necessary infrastructure.
Hydrogen initially only on a few routes
Nagel also sees this as a major challenge – but is optimistic. In the beginning there will be only a few hydrogen planes in the world fleet, operations can be concentrated on a few routes. So you initially only need infrastructure for refueling at a few airports – and then you can expand it further. “In principle, it is the same as with the charging stations for electric cars.” As part of the new center at Stuttgart Airport, it is also important to find out how best to fuel aircraft with hydrogen and how the gas gets to the airport.
In addition to liquid hydrogen as an energy carrier for fuel cells, another use of the gas for CO2-neutral conversion in aviation is conceivable, Nagel explains: Artificial kerosene can be produced from “green” hydrogen and CO2 from the atmosphere. The advantage: it can be used almost immediately in the current aircraft. However, it takes a lot of energy to produce it.
According to recent studies, the total energy requirement for flying and liquid hydrogen fuel production is lower for short and medium ranges. On the other hand, synthetic kerosene has an advantage on long-haul routes. However, much still needs to be developed, so it will only become clear in the coming years which energy source will prevail.
Source: Krone
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