How Engine Makers are Looking at Hydrogen to Power New Aircraft.
Over the past few years, the discussions around hydrogen in aviation has been limited to the advanced air mobility (AAM) sector and hydrogen-based fuel cells. These fuel cells could power eVTOLs and regional flights without causing harm to the environment through emissions. Now, several companies have shown their interest in hydrogen combustion technology and are preparing to test new hydrogen-powered engines this year.
Many traditional engine manufacturers like Rolls Royce, Safran and Pratt and Whitney are hoping that an engine powered by liquid hydrogen can be integrated with long haul airliners and to help the industry achieve net zero emissions status in the next 25 years.
These engines will work on the concept of liquid nitrogen being stored in a cryogenic tank during the flight, which will help power traditional turbines with some slight adjustments. Using hydrogen fuel cells brings their own set of challenges that prevent effective integration with larger aircraft, one of the major ones being a low power to weight ratio.
Airbus is planning to put a hydrogen-powered airliner in the air by 2035, and they are considering both the fuel cell and liquid hydrogen technology. The test flight for these engines, placed on an A380, will take place sometime in 2026.
Safran along with its partner Turbotech in 2024 successfully tested a hydrogen-powered gas turbine engine for France’s BeautHyFuel project. These trials involved hydrogen gas as fuel with the TP-90 engine. While hydrogen in a gaseous format can power both fuel cells and combustion engines, storing it on an aircraft can be cumbersome and will require large pressurised tanks to store. On the other hand, liquid nitrogen may be easy to store, but keeping it cool on aircraft will require innovative solutions.
Pratt and Whitney are also planning to test the hydrogen combustion technology on their PW127XT turboprop engine, also implementing gaseous hydrogen as fuel. This is being developed for the Canadian Government’s Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology (INSAT) for their Hydrogen Advanced Design Engine Study (HyADES) project. The initial phases of these involve ground tests with the combustion rig running on gaseous hydrogen.
Rolls Royce has already tested hydrogen combustion technology on a Pearl 700 turbofan engine using only gaseous hydrogen. Manufacturers big and small are attempting to break into this new sector that will make the industry sustainable.
Brookfield Aviation International is pleased with the advancements made towards making aviation more sustainable and eco-friendlier. Our initiatives in conjecture with eVTOL manufacturers and operators will help towards our contribution to making aviation a net zero emission industry.
