Hydrogen Fuel System for Aircraft

Hydrogen propulsion is crucial for achieving zero carbon emissions in commercial aviation. The aircraft's power can be generated through hydrogen combustion in a gas turbine engine and electricity through the fuel cell. Though promising, it poses several challenges for implementation, such as the large volume and structural modification required to carry cryogenic liquid hydrogen (LH2). Also, the current jet fuel system used in commercial aviation needs significant changes to incorporate hydrogen aircraft. The primary objective of this study was to analyze the Hypothesis related to Liquid Hydrogen Aircraft, which will help define the hydrogen fuel system. The theories were:A pressurization system is essential to maintain the LH2 tank pressure within the safe limit,Gaseous hydrogen transformed from Liquid Hydrogen is suitable for tank pressurization,Possible to maintain Cryogenic tank conditions during night non-operation time. A simplified Aircraft Hydrogen system was modeled and analyzed for 120 minutes of flight operation and 360 minutes of ground non-operation. The analysis shows that tank insulations are crucial in deciding tank pressurization and cryogenic equilibrium. © 2022 SAE International Journal of Advances and Current Practices in Mobility. All rights reserved.