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Hydrogen has an excellent energy-to-weight ratio, but in terms of energy-to-volume it's even worse than lithium-ion batteries as a gas. This is why proposals fo
by skykooler 4y ago
Hydrogen has an excellent energy-to-weight ratio, but in terms of energy-to-volume it's even worse than lithium-ion batteries as a gas. This is why proposals for hydrogen airliners usually need a complicated cryogenic setup to store it as liquid hydrogen instead.
- ncmncm 4y agoYou don't need a "complicated" cryogenic setup. You just need insulated tankage. But it won't fit in the wings, so you need new airframes or fuel nacelles. We have a very great deal of experience with fuel nacelles already, because that is what a "drop tank" looks like; you just omit the "drop" complication. The advantages over inboard tankage are safety, possible retrofitting of existing fleets, and short plumbing runs. Once LH2 aircraft are used on any route, kerosene craft will be wholly unable to compete, even without carbon taxes. Carbon taxes could be spent on accelerating the transition.
- hgomersall 4y agoOr a radically different airframe design. One that perhaps is much bigger and flies slower but is very low weight (by virtue of being mostly full of hydrogen).
- ncmncm 4y agoA different airframe design would take a long time to field, and with inboard tankage arguably less safe.