Sustainable aviation is a key part of achieving Net Zero by 2050, and is arguably one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise. Hydrogen has gained unprecedented attention as a future fuel for aviation, for use within fuel cell or hydrogen gas turbine propulsion systems. This paper presents a survey of the literature and industrial projects on hydrogen aircraft and associated enabling technologies. The current and predicted technology capabilities are analysed to identify important trends and to assess the feasibility of hydrogen propulsion. Several key enabling technologies are discussed in detail and gaps in knowledge are identified. It is evident that hydrogen propelled aircraft are technologically viable by 2050. However, convergence of a number of critical factors is required, namely: the extent of industrial collaboration, the understanding of environmental science and contrails, green hydrogen production and its availability at the point of use, and the safety and certification of the aircraft and supporting infrastructure. 

A review of liquid hydrogen aircraft and propulsion technologies

Comparative study of fuel types on solid oxide fuel cell – gas turbine hybrid system for electric propulsion aircraft

Liquid hydrogen storage is one of the effective hydrogen storage methods due to its high density of 70.8 kg/m3 compared to gaseous hydrogen of 0.0838 kg/m3 at atmospheric pressure. Liquid hydrogen requires cryogenic storage technology, which minimizes heat flux by stacking multiple insulation layers in a high vacuum (10−1–10−5 Pa). However, large-scale tanks use a medium vacuum (100–10−1 Pa) to reduce maintenance expenses. Solid insulation is applied to prevent liquefaction of residual gas up to 150 K, followed by the stacking of multilayer insulation (MLI) with a vapor−cooling shield (VCS) to minimize the insulation thickness. In this study, a numerical model was developed to calculate the heat flux of a storage tank based on the physical tank shape. The insulation thickness was also optimized for two insulation systems (solid insulation + MLI and solid insulation + MLI + VCS). Optimal VCS placement on solid insulation, determined through sensitivity analysis, reduces 64.2 % of MLI layers under 5 Pa vacuum pressure. Total insulation thickness reduction of 51.4 % at 1 Pa vacuum pressure was obtained based on a hydrogen storage tank volume of 4200 m3. The effects of insulation thickness reduction are remained even when the vacuum pressure is increased to 5 Pa. 

Numerical modeling and optimization of thermal insulation for liquid hydrogen storage tanks

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems are spreading worldwide and, for limited applications, also in the transport sector where high power rates are required. In this context, this paper investigates the performance of a six-cell SOFC stack by means of experimental tests at different power levels. The experimental campaign is based on two different stages: the heating phase, useful for leading the system temperature to approximately 750 °C, and the test stage, in which the experimental activities are properly carried out with varying input parameters, such as the DC current load. In addition, a detailed post-processing activity is conducted to investigate the main performance that could be used in the scale-up processes to design and size a SOFC-based system for transportation. The experimental results concern the electrical power, which reaches 165 W, roughly 27 W for each cell and with 52% electrical efficiency, as well as the theoretical thermal power and efficiency, useful for cogeneration processes, with maximum values of 80 W and 25%, respectively, achieved at maximum load. This discussion then shifts to an in-depth analysis of the possible applications of SOFCs in sustainable mobility, particularly in the maritime and aviation industries. The complexities of the issues presented underscore the field’s multidisciplinary nature, ranging from materials science to system integration, and environmental science to regulatory standards. The findings presented could be useful to scientists, engineers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders working on the development and commercialization of SOFC systems in the sustainable transportation sectors. 

Experimental Activities on a Hydrogen-Powered Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System and Guidelines for Its Implementation in Aviation and Maritime Sectors

The SOFC-Engine hybrid system is considered suitable as a marine power system due to its impressive attributes, including high efficiency and effective adaptability to variable loads. Combined with the ORC system and methanol fuel, the system's efficiency and carbon reduction can be taken to the next level. This study introduces a novel solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)-Engine-Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) hybrid power generation system that operates on methanol. Rigorous assessments were conducted utilizing energy analysis, exergetic analysis, and exergoeconomic analysis. These evaluations aimed to pinpoint precise strategies for enhancing system efficiency while curbing expenses. The results show that the power generation efficiency of the hybrid system is 61.86%, and the exergy efficiency was 58.06%. Notably, the air preheater and engine emerge as components causing substantial exergy losses. Through exergoeconomic analysis, the exergy cost distribution across all system parts was unveiled. The reformer's exergoeconomic factor registers the highest at 77.62%. Consequently, mitigating the exergy cost associated with the reformer holds paramount importance in augmenting overall system revenue. Remarkably, the engine incurs the highest cost of exergy destruction at 10.134 $/h. Overall, this research offers pivotal insights for optimizing component performance and driving cost reductions. 

Exergetic and exergoeconomic evaluation of an SOFC-Engine-ORC hybrid power generation system with methanol for ship application

Matching and performance analysis of a solid oxide fuel cell turbine-less hybrid electric propulsion system on aircraft

Influence of fuel reforming with low water to carbon ratio on thermodynamic performance of aviation solid oxide fuel cell - gas turbine hybrid system

Cleaner fuels and more efficient systems are important for achieving green, low-carbon ships. In this paper, a novel proton exchange membrane fuel cell/engine based cogeneration system with methanol fuel (MPEC system) for ship application is proposed. By the online catalytic reforming process of methanol, the obtained hydrogen through reforming can provide sufficient high heating value fuel to the MPEC system. The energy efficiency, exergy efficiency, economy and environment (4 E) analysis method is adopted for the comprehensive performance analysis of the MPEC system. The results show that the proposed MPEC system can achieve cogeneration efficiency and power generation efficiency as high as 81.84% and 50.46%, respectively, which performs that the generation efficiency is improved by 19.55% compared to the single engine, and the biggest exergy loss process occurs at the engine. The total life cycle carbon emission and levelized cost of energy of the MPEC system are 344.938 g/kWh and 0.1411 $/kWh, separately. Moreover, the effects of various parameters on the MPEC system performance are analyzed, mainly including steam carbon ratio, current density, etc. Overall, a low-carbon power system with high efficiency and good load performance is achieved by combining high-efficiency fuel cell with a powerful engine. 

4E analysis of a novel proton exchange membrane fuel cell/engine based cogeneration system with methanol fuel for ship application

Handle everyday research tasks with reliable, citation-backed results

Your personal Research Agent to handle research tasks with citation-backed results

Popular Tasks used by Researchers

How can I help with your research?

Meet SciSpace

Get more enhanced response by uploading the PDFs you want me to reference.

No relevant PDFs in your library

SciSpace is the AI research assistant for academics. Run systematic literature reviews on 280M+ papers, and write papers with cited sources. Trusted by 1M+ students, PhDs & researchers.

SciSpace | AI for Research

Analyze PDFs

Code & Manuscripts

Funding & Grants

Literature & Patents

Medical & Clinical Data

Systematic Review

Visualize & Present

Web & Data

Build a Google Scholar-like website for your research.

Build a website

Create charts and images for your research

Create a Chart

Write a paper for submission to a journal

Draft a manuscript

Patent Search

Design eye-catching scientific posters in minutes.

Scientific Poster Generation

Systematic Literature Review

One task is running at the moment. Your messages will be shown right after.

Drag and drop or click here to browse

Loved by <highlight>1 million+</highlight> researchers

Extract a list of specific topics and their sources from unstructured text

Topics

Compare and analyze relevant papers that matches with your search

Papers

Get insights from PDFs and bookmarked papers from your library

My library

Recent searches

Try searching for:

Catch AI-generated content in scholarly and non-scholarly content

{ai} Detector

Ai Writer

Get PDF Summaries, highlighted text explanations 

Chat with PDF

Effortlessly create in-text citations and bibliographies in APA and 2,500 other formats

Citation generator

Get explanations, summaries, and answers on academic papers

Ease up your research workflow with {scispace}'s cohort of exciting AI tools

Elevate your academic writing skills and convey your ideas the way you want

Paraphraser

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Your file is being prepared and should be ready in a few minutes. If it's a large file, it might take a bit longer. You can close this window, and we'll email you the file when it's done.

You have reached a maximum limit of <strong>{limit}</strong> columns in the table. Remove at least <strong>1</strong> column to add or create another one.

He Liu

Author Tools

Chat about Author