Airbus to take up the hydrogen contrail
characterisation challenge
·
Airbus UpNext to perform hydrogen-powered
flight with new flying testbed
·
Record-holding Perlan 2 pilots to fly
glider with hydrogen combustion engine
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Test campaign will study composition of
hydrogen engine contrails
@Airbus @AirbusUpNext @PerlanProject
@DLR_de @UofNorthDakota #SustainableAviation #ZEROe #FIA2022
Farnborough,
20 July 2022 – Airbus UpNext, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Airbus,
has revealed a flight test programme to study the contrails produced by a
hydrogen combustion engine as part the Company’s ZEROe roadmap. The project,
named “Blue Condor”, will launch two modified Arcus gliders, one equipped with
a hydrogen combustion engine and one equipped with a conventional
kerosene-powered combustion engine, in order to compare contrails emitted at
high altitudes.
"Contrail characterisation is of significant interest to Airbus. We know
that hydrogen emits no carbon dioxide when burned, but we also know that with
water vapour and heat being the most significant by-products, hydrogen combustion
does produce contrails. Although these contrails differ significantly to those
produced by conventional JetA/A1 combustion engines, understanding their
composition will be key to support our decarbonisation journey,” said Sandra
Bour Schaeffer, CEO of Airbus UpNext. “In taking up this challenge we are
making significant headway in our decarbonisation strategy and our ambition to
bring the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft into service by
2035.”
The Blue Condor demonstrator will be supported by the Perlan Project team,
which will be responsible for the modification of the Arcus gliders. They will
also provide the high-altitude glider pilots, the same pilots who in 2018 set
the world subsonic altitude record – 76,124 feet – in a pressurised glider for
Airbus Perlan Mission II.
The German Research Centre DLR will collect and analyse data captured using
their measurement instrumentation sensors on a chase aircraft, while Airbus
will ensure the provision of the hydrogen system and equipment, including the
combustion engine as well as the details of the flight test mission.
To ensure 100% comparable data between the hydrogen and conventional engine,
the test flights will be carried out back-to-back under the same meteorological
conditions. Test flights are scheduled for late 2022 in North Dakota, USA,
in collaboration with the University of North Dakota.
Airbus is also conducting various demonstration programmes – including ECLIF3
(Emission and Climate Impact of Alternative Fuels) and VOLCAN (“VOL avec
Carburants Alternatifs Nouveaux”) – to better understand contrails produced by
sustainable aviation fuels.
Airbus Perlan Mission II is also continuing, with plans in 2023 to soar to
altitudes approaching the Perlan 2 glider’s 90,000-feet service ceiling, in
order to conduct research of upper atmospheric weather. If successful, Airbus
Perlan Mission II would set the all-time world altitude record for wingborne
flight, and would do so in a zero-emission aircraft.
For more information, click here.
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