Zero-Carbon Emission Flights To Anywhere In The World Possible With Just One Stop
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from the Aerospace Technology Institute.
This is the first sentence of the press release.
Passengers could one day fly anywhere in the world with no carbon emissions and just one stop on board a concept aircraft unveiled by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) today.
These three paragraphs describe the concept.
Up to 279 passengers could fly between London and San Francisco, USA direct or Auckland, New Zealand with just one stop with the same speed and comfort as today’s aircraft, revolutionising the future of air travel.
Developed by a team of aerospace and aviation experts from across the UK collaborating on the government backed FlyZero project, the concept demonstrates the huge potential of green liquid hydrogen for air travel not just regionally or in short haul flight but for global connectivity. Liquid hydrogen is a lightweight fuel, which has three times the energy of kerosene and sixty times the energy of batteries per kilogramme and emits no CO2 when burned.
Realising a larger, longer range aircraft also allows the concentration of new infrastructure to fewer international airports accelerating the rollout of a global network of zero-carbon emission flights and tackling emissions from long haul flights.
These are my thoughts.
The Airframe
This picture downloaded from the Aerospace Technology Institute web site is a visualisation of their Fly Anywhere Aircraft.
Some features stand out.
The wings are long, narrow and thin, almost like those of a sailplane. High aspect ratio wings like these offer more lift and stability at high altitude, so will the plane fly higher than the 41,000-43,000 feet of an Airbus A350?
I wouldn’t be surprised if it does, as the higher you go, the thinner the air and the less fuel you will burn to maintain speed and altitude.
The horizontal stabiliser is also small as this will reduce drag and better balance with the wing.
The tailfin also appears small for drag reduction.
The body is bloated compared to say an Airbus A 350 or a Boeing 777. Could this be to provide space for the liquid hydrogen, which can’t be stored in the thin wings?
The fuselage also appears to be a lifting body, with the wings blended into the fat body. I suspect that the hydrogen is carried in this part of the fuselage, which would be about the centre of lift of the aeroplane.
The design of the airframe appears to be all about the following.
- Low drag.
- high lift and stability.
- Large internal capacity to hold the liquid hydrogen.
It may just look fat, but it could be as radical as the first Boeing 747 was in 1969.
The Engines
I suspect the engines will be developments of current engines like the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB, which will be modified to run on hydrogen.
If they are modified Trent engines, it will be astonishing to think, that these engines can be traced in an unbroken line to the RB211, which was first run in 1969.
The Flight Controls
Most airliners these days and certainly all those built by Airbus have sophisticated computer control systems and this plane will take them to another level.
The Flight Profile
If you want to fly any aircraft a long distance, you generally climb to a high level fairly quickly and then fly straight and level, before timing the descent so you land at the destination with as small amount of fuel as is safe, to allow a diversion to another airport.
I once flew from Southend to Naples in a Cessna 340.
- I made sure that the tanks were filled to the brim with fuel.
- I climbed to a high altitude as I left Southend Airport.
- For the journey across France I asked for and was given a transit at Flight Level 195 (19,500 feet), which was all legal in France under visual flight rules.
- When the French handed me over to the Italians, legally I should have descended, but the Italians thought I’d been happy across France at FL195, so they didn’t bother to ask me to descend.
- I flew down the West Coast of Italy at the same height, with an airspeed of 185 knots (213 mph)
- I was then vectored into Naples Airport by radar.
I remember the flight of 981 miles took around six hours. That is an average of 163.5 mph.
I would expect the proposed aircraft would fly a similar profile, but the high level cruise would be somewhere above the 41,000-43,000 feet of an Airbus A 350. We must have a lot of data about flying higher as Concorde flew at 60,000 feet and some military aircraft fly at over 80,000 feet.
The press release talks about London to San Francisco, which is a distance of 5368 miles.
This aircraft wouldn’t sell unless it was able to beat current flight time of eleven hours and five minutes on that route.
Ground Handling
When the Boeing 747 started flying in the 1970s, size was a big problem and this aircraft with its long wing may need modifications to runways, taxiways and terminals.
Passenger Capacity
The press release states that the capacity of the aircraft will be 279 passengers, as against the 315 and 369 passengers of the two versions of the A 350.
So will there be more flights carrying less passengers?
Liquid Hydrogen Refuelling
NASA were doing this successfully in the 1960s for Saturn rockets and the Space Shuttle.
Conclusion
This aircraft is feasible.
Could Universal Hydrogen’s Concept Create A Hydrogen-Powered Single-Aisle Airliner?
Universal Hydrogen are making some of what I would consider the right moves.
Hydrogen Supply
Universal Hydrogen have signed a supply contract with Fortescue Future Industries for the supply of green hydrogen.
The deal is described in this press release on the FFI web site, which is entitled FFI And Universal Hydrogen Join Forces To Decarbonise Aviation.
Collaboration With Airbus
There is an article on BusinessWire, which is entitled Universal Hydrogen Announces New Engineering Development Center Located In Toulouse, France, The Heart of European Aviation.
Toulouse is the home of Airbus.
The Capsule Concept
The capsule concept could be universal.
These are widths of various planes and trains.
- De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 – 2.52 metres – Internal
- Airbus ATR 72 – 2.57 metres- Internal
- Airbus A320neo – 3.7 metres – Internal
- Boeing 737 – 3.53 metres – Internal
- Class 800 train – 2.7 metres – External
- Class 66 locomotive – 2.65 metres – External
I suspect that if the design is correct, then one size of capsule can be made to fit a variety of applications.
Application To Regional Aviation
I discussed this in Flybe Appears To Be On The Way Back.
I believe that De Havilland Canada Dash 8s and Airbus ATR 72s could be converted to hydrogen.
Road Transport
Surely, the capsules would be too big for road transport in the UK and many other countries.
But they would probably be ideal to deliver hydrogen to bus and truck depots and filling stations for hydrogen vehicles. They would just be plugged in and then could start dispensing the fuel.
Decarbonation Of Diesel Locomotives
Consider.
- The cross-section of a diesel locomotive even in the UK, is larger than that of a regional airliner.
- Most of the space in the body of a diesel locomotive is taken up by a large diesel engine.
- Fuel ells or a small gas turbine could be small compared to the diesel engine.
- Most existing diesel locomotives have electric transmissions.
I believe that many diesel-electric locomotives could be converted to hydrogen power and some could use Universal Hydrogen’s capsules.
Zero-Carbon Backup Generators
Many pieces of important infrastructure, like data centres, hospitals and large railway stations have backup generators.
Universal Hydrogen’s capsules could provide hydrogen for zero-carbon backup generators.
Universal Hydrogen’s Ideas For Single-Aisle Airliners
In the Product page on the Universal Hydrogen web site, there is a section, which is entitled Single Aisle / Narrowbody, where this is the first two sentences.
The majority of aviation emissions are produced by the single aisle (also known as narrowbody) fleet, dominated by the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families of aircraft. Both Boeing and Airbus are likely to develop a replacement for these venerable models for entry into service in the mid 2030s.
Alongside the text is this graphic, which compares various airliners.
Universal Hydrogen are proposing that Airbus stretch the A321, so that hydrogen capsules can be fitted in the rear of the fuselage, so that the aircraft has similar proportions to the Boeing 757.
Read the full text on the Product page of the Universal Hydrogen web site.
I can see that if they could prove the concept with the Regional Airliner, they could develop the two concepts shown in the graphic.
Conclusion
This is a simple, but very exciting project.
Flybe Appears To Be On The Way Back
I was alerted to the relaunch of the Flybe airline being a serious proposition by this article on the Birmingham Mail, which is entitled Watch As First Of 32 New Flybe Planes Lands At Birmingham Airport.
These are the first two paragraphs.
The first of Flybe’s more eco-friendly planes has landed in Birmingham ready for the launch of the airline’s new city HQ.
Part of a planned 32-aircraft fleet, the De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprop touched down on the runway at Birmingham Airport on Friday.
The new Flybe will be based at Birmingham Airport and will have a fleet consisting of thirty-two De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 aircraft.
The De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400
Note these facts about the aircraft.
- According to Wikipedia, 645 aircraft have been ordered, with 587 having been delivered.
- Different variants can handle between 40 and 80 passengers.
- All aircraft delivered since 1996 are dubbed Q-Series and have active noise and vibration suppression, which is designed to improve the cabin ambience.
- A Dash 8-400 is also called a Q400.
But the most interesting development of the Dash 8 aircraft, is that developments are underway, so that the aircraft will be able to be powered by hydrogen.
Universal Hydrogen And A Hydrogen-Powered Q400
This article on Future Flight is entitled Universal Assembles Hydrogen Aircraft Conversion Team In Washington State.
This is the first two paragraphs.
Universal Hydrogen and its hydrogen fuel cell partner Plug Power are joining forces with electric motor specialists MagniX and AeroTec to set up a Hydrogen Aviation Test and Service Center at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington. The partners will use the new facility to convert a Dash 8 regional airliner to hydrogen propulsion in time to start commercial operations in 2025. Flight testing is due to begin in 2022.
The new hydrogen powertrain will consist of an electric propulsion unit (EPU) developed by MagniX and fuel cells provided by Plug Power, which has extensive experience converting trucks to hydrogen. Seattle-based AeroTec will take the lead on converting the Dash 8s to hydrogen propulsion, conducting flight tests, and arranging for certification under FAA supplemental type certificates. The system installation work will be conducted at the Moses Lake facility.
This paragraph gives details of the design.
The hydrogen-powered Dash 8 aircraft, which carry between 41 and 60 passengers, will be able to operate on routes of up to around 625 miles. Universal Hydrogen’s plan calls for the fuel to be delivered directly to aircraft in capsules that are installed in a compartment at the rear of the fuselage.
These are my thoughts on the design.
Power Required
Wikipedia says this about the engines of the Dash 8-400 (Q400).
The Series 400 uses Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A engines rated at 4,850 shp (3,620 kW).
This means that the aircraft will need fuel cells capable of delivering over 7 MW.
This data sheet on the Plug Power web site, says that the company has fuel cells up to 125 KW, which weigh 350 Kg and need a cooling module, that weighs a further 103 Kg. Scaling up shows the power unit could weigh around 25.4 tonnes.
As the maximum take-off weight of a Q400 is around 30.5 tonnes, this wouldn’t leave much weight for the airframe, the two electric motors and propellers, the hydrogen and the passengers and their luggage.
It would appear that Plug Power must be using some form of lighter-weight fuel cell.
Or could they be using an appropriately-sized gas turbine generator from Pratt & Whitney Canada?
It should be noted that a Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A engine, weighs under a tonne and generates over 3.5 MW.
Obviously, they wouldn’t be developing the plane, if they hadn’t figured out how to generate enough electricity to get it off the ground.
The Hydrogen Capsules
The Product page on the Universal Hydrogen web site is revealing.
This paragraph from the Product page describes how they would convert Regional Aircraft to Hydrogen.
Our first product is a conversion kit for existing regional aircraft, starting with the ATR72 and the De Havilland Canada Dash-8, to fly on hydrogen. This consists of a fuel cell electric powertrain that replaces the existing turboprop engines. It also accommodates, in the rear of the fuselage, our proprietary, lightweight, modular hydrogen capsules that are transported from green hydrogen production sites to the airport and loaded directly into the aircraft using the existing intermodal freight network and cargo handling equipment. By providing both an aircraft conversion solution for the existing fleet and a fuel services offering directly to regional airlines, we will be in passenger service with zero emissions by 2025 and in cargo service shortly thereafter.
Note.
- The cutaway on the Product page of a De Havilland Canada Dash-8, which has three capsules in the rear fuselage.
- The cutaway shows forty seats in the aircraft.
- If you scroll the pictures, you’ll see the design of the capsule.
- The product can be used to convert two regional airliners both of which are in production.
- Airports will need no new infrastructure to handle the hydrogen.
Universal Hydrogen has also signed a deal with Fortescue Future Industries to supply green hydrogen to fill the capsules.
Are A First Flight In 2022 And An in-Service Date Of 2025 Over Ambitious?
The article in Future Flight says this.
AeroTec will take the lead on converting the Dash 8s to hydrogen propulsion, conducting flight tests, and arranging for certification under FAA supplemental type certificates.
FAA Supplemental Type Certificates are outlined on this page on the FAA web site, where this introductory paragraph is given.
A supplemental type certificate (STC) is a type certificate (TC) issued when an applicant has received FAA approval to modify an aeronautical product from its original design. The STC, which incorporates by reference the related TC, approves not only the modification but also how that modification affects the original design.
They are a much-used and well-proven method to update aircraft for new purposes and new power units.
I suspect that going this route will enable Q400 and ATR 72 aircraft will be flying on hydrogen by 2025.
How Far Will A Range Of 625 Miles Take The Plane From Birmingham?
I have used the Air Miles Calculator to calculate distances in miles from Birmingham.
- Amsterdam Schiphol – 276
- Barcelona – 791
- Belfast City 225
- Berlin Schönefeld – 644
- Biarritz – 621
- Bilbao – 635
- Bordeaux – 529
- Cologne – 397
- Copenhagen – 624
- Cork – 290
- Dublin – 200
- Dusseldorf – 373
- Edinburgh – 251
- Frankfurt – 452
- Geneva – 556
- Glasgow – 260
- Hamburg – 495
- Inverness – 364
- Jersey – 225
- Kirkwall – 474
- Lerwick – 536
- Lyon – 558
- Munich – 660
- Newcastle – 179
- Newquay – 198
- Nice – 735
- Oslo – 726
- Paris-Charles de Gaulle – 303
- Paris-Orly – 315
- Rotterdam – 265
- Strasbourg – 494
Note.
- It might be possible to serve some routes without refuelling at the other end.
- Some routes could be paired for efficiency and still be well below 600 miles.
- The large intercontinental airports of Amsterdam Schiphol, Frankfurt and Paris-Charles de Gaulle should be reached easily.
- Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has a well-connected railway station.
- Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport has a TGV station.
- Frankfurt Airport has a long distance railway station on the Cologne-Frankfurt high speed line.
- If you’re flying to the South of France or Switzerland, it looks like flying from London City Airport is about a hundred miles shorter.
It would appear that the range of 625 miles could be very useful, especially if you use a long distance train at both ends of the flight.
I can certainly understand why Flybe has chosen Birmingham as its main base.
Will Flybe Convert Their Aircraft To Hydrogen?
This is obviously up to the company, but if they don’t, someone else will and Flybe will lose their regional market in the UK.
Conclusion
I think those behind the new Flybe could be looking to create the UK’s first zero-carbon airline.
‘Spirit of Innovation’ Stakes Claim To Be The World’s Fastest All-Electric Vehicle
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release on the Rolls-Royce web site.
This is the first paragraph.
We believe our all-electric ‘Spirit of Innovation’ aircraft is the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft, setting three new world records. We have submitted data to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) – the World Air Sports Federation who control and certify world aeronautical and astronautical records – that at 15:45 (GMT) on 16 November 2021, the aircraft reached a top speed of 555.9 km/h (345.4 mph) over 3 kilometres, smashing the existing record by 213.04 km/h (132mph). In further runs at the UK Ministry of Defence’s Boscombe Down experimental aircraft testing site, the aircraft achieved 532.1km/h (330 mph) over 15 kilometres – 292.8km/h (182mph) faster than the previous record – and broke the fastest time to climb to 3000 metres by 60 seconds with a time of 202 seconds, according to our data. We hope that the FAI will certify and officially confirm the achievements of the team in the near future.
Rolls-Royce also claim that the maximum speed achieved of 387.4 mph make it the world’s fastest all-electric vehicle.
To put that speed into perspective, it is faster than a Mark V Spitfire, which was powered by a legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. These aircraft were powered by a Merlin 45 engine that generated 1074kW.
By comparison the Spirit of Innovation has a maximum power of just 400 kW.
Why Do It?
This paragraph from the press release gives an explanation.
As well as a stunning technical achievement, the project and world record runs provided important data for our future electric power and propulsion systems for all-electric urban air mobility and hybrid-electric commuter aircraft. The characteristics that ‘air-taxis’ require from batteries, for instance, are very similar to what was developed for the ‘Spirit of Innovation’.
I’ll go with that, as Rolls-Royce seem to be associated with several electric aviation projects.
But I can’t help feeling that there are parallels with the 1930s, when Supermarine and Rolls-Royce teamed up to produce the Supermarine S 6B, that won the Schneider Trophy outright in 1931. It is generally accepted that the knowledge gained at the time helped to design the Spitfire and the Merlin engine.
With Southwest Airlines Deal, Velocys Presells 100% Of The Output From Its US Biobased Jet Fuel Project
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the American Chemical Society.
This is the first paragraph.
The biofuel maker Velocys has signed jet fuel purchase agreements with Southwest Airlines and International Airlines Group. Velocys says it now has agreements for the entire output of the facility it plans to open in Mississippi in 2026. The plant, known as Bayou Fuels, will use gasification and Fischer-Tropsch chemistry to make the fuel from wood waste. It will be fitted with carbon-capture equipment from Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, making its fuel net-negative in CO2 emissions. The two airlines have also agreed to buy the resulting greenhouse gas.
Note that the technology is net-negative in carbon dioxide emissions.
This must be a short-term route to decarbonise existing aviation.
Shocks Away! RAF To Fly Electric Planes
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on The Times.
The RAF is evaluating the Slovenian-built Pipistrel Velis Electro for use as a training aircraft. I learned to fly in a Cessna 150 and the Pipistrel Velis Electro seems to be a modern reincanation of that and similar classic designs.
- It seats two normal people side-by-side.
- It has a high wing.
- It has a fixed tricycle undercarriage.
- It is built from composites, whereas the Cessna was aluminium.
- It seems to have been carefully designed.
- It has full certification.
I would love to have a flight in one.
As the Danish Air Force are already using the aircraft for pilot training, I suspect that it might suit the RAF.
But then there are quite a lot of battery-electric under development and there may be a better one.
But there is no denying that the Pipistrel Velis Electro is a good aircraft to start the procurement process.
Commercial Hydrogen Planes Will Be Flying By 2024
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
There is also this sub-heading.
ZeroAvia plans to start flying passenger flights between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
I am not as sure as the author of this article, but I do feel we’ll see some viable hydrogen aircraft.
- Airbus have gone from first flight to in service in eighteen months, but not with hydrogen.
- Turboprop and turbofans can be modified to run on hydrogen.
- Hydrogen storage is getting better at a fast rate.
Never underestimate engineers with ambition!
Budget 2021: Rishi Sunak Defends Lowering Domestic Air Duty
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These are the first two paragraphs.
The chancellor has said his Budget – including tax cuts to air tax – will help the government meet its net zero carbon targets.
Rishi Sunak used his Budget to slash taxes on domestic flights, which is forecast to lead to 400,000 extra air journeys a year.
I think he could have gone further.
It is my belief that the first area of aviation to decarbonise will be the short-haul sector.
We are seeing electric aircraft being developed like the Cessna Electric Caravan, Eviation Alice and Project Fresson.
Perhaps, domestic flights in true zero-carbon aircraft like these should be free of Air Passenger Duty?
It might even speed their introduction.
Michael O’Leary On Sustainable Aviation Fuel And Food Prices
This article on Hydrogen Fuel News is entitled Ryanair CEO Predicts Cost Of Hydrogen Fuel Will Spike Food Prices.
Logically, this could happen to foods with a high quantity of food miles, such as peas and beans from Kenya.
But surely we can replace these with products grown in places like the Fens.
But still O’Leary got his name in a news article, which was the purpose.
He doesn’t bother me, as I don’t fly much and there are several airlines, I use in preference to Ryanair.
I also don’t fly in Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, in which O’Leary has made a large investment.
Rolls-Royce Joins Boeing And World Energy For Successful 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel Flight
The title of this post, is the same as that of this Press Release from Rolls-Royce.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Rolls-Royce, working with Boeing and World Energy, has carried out a successful test flight of its 747 Flying Testbed aircraft using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on a Trent 1000 engine.
The aircraft flew from Tucson airport in Arizona, passing over New Mexico and Texas, with a Trent 1000 engine running solely on 100% SAF while the remaining three RB211 engines ran on standard jet fuel, arriving back at the airport three hours and 54 minutes later. Initial indications confirm there were no engineering issues, providing further proof of the fuel’s suitability for commercial use.
Until new zero-carbon technology is developed, which possibly uses hydrogen as a fuel, I believe that Sustainable Aviation Fuel is the best route that the world can take to cut the carbon emissions from flying.
The Anonymous Widower 