Airbus Hydrogen Fuel-cell Engine In The Works JF published a news article on the 28th of November concerning the world's first full-scale ground engine test ran on green hydrogen which was conducted by Rolls Royce in conjunction with EasyJet. Further news has emerged regarding Airbus' efforts to develop a hydrogen-run powerplant. The commercial airframer suggests that it has been working on this technology and expects the technology to be in real-world testing by the middle of this decade. The is an Airbus A380 (MSN1) that will be utilized as the testbed.
Airbus is calling it a hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine and this technology they expect to enter service by 2035. The ZEROe Airbus A380 testbed is being retrofitted with the Hydrogen tanks and other associated equipment. Glenn Llewellyn, VP Zero-Emission Aircraft, Airbus, said, "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. 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."
The thing about hydrogen, burning liquid hydrogen still emits a greenhouse gas in nitrous oxide but a small amount of it. However, if that hydrogen is derived from green sources like how Rolls Royce said their hydrogen was obtained via tidal and wind power then the by product is merely water and warm air. Green hydrogen is commonly derived from the electrolysis of water...i.e using electricity to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. This engine is still a very long way from being a reality but the push is on to develop the basis for it. For more information: Airbus S.A.S. Worldwide Headquarters 1, Rond point Maurice Bellonte Blagnac Cedex 31707 www.airbus.com ***
