Hydrogen-powered aircraft design with Simcenter Amesim
Find out how hydrogen could power sustainable aircraft design in the future. Review a model simulation of a regional aircraft powered by hybrid propulsion versus that same model propelled by direct hydrogen combustion.
As the demand for sustainable aircraft design continues, industry experts and academics are well on their way in researching green aviation possibilities.
So far, experts and researchers have identified hydrogen as a promising option. But while it’s a leading contender, it’s not without its questions, too.
Read this white paper and get up to speed on where the research stands when it comes to hydrogen-powered aircraft’s viability as the future of sustainable aircraft design.
The white paper also goes through the simulated performance of a regional aircraft (ATR-72) with hybrid propulsion (fuel cells and ultracapacitors) compared to the performance of the same aircraft propelled by direct hydrogen combustion.
Current advantages and questions surrounding hydrogen-powered aircraft
When it comes to hydrogen’s standing as a leading contender to power sustainable aircraft design, there are encouraging signs and logistical concerns.
Hydrogen’s candidacy for fuel of the future is strengthened by the fact that it emits low levels of greenhouse gases and can be directly burnt inside a turbine engine burner. Considering that the combustion of alternative fuels emits carbon dioxide (CO2) and is more expensive to produce, hydrogen has important differentiating features in its favor.
Hydrogen does have a couple logistical drawbacks that innovators in the sustainable-aircraft-design space will have to contend with. It is difficult to transport hydrogen. The gas must be turned into a liquid by cooling it to -253 degrees Celsius. Beyond liquid hydrogen being dangerously cold, it is also volatile. Without proper insulation systems and heat exchangers, the liquid hydrogen could evaporate, creating a potential fire hazard.
Simulated performance of an ATR-72 in Simcenter Amesim
Working with Siemens’ Simcenter™ Amesim™ software, this simulation compares the performance of hybrid propulsion (fuel cells and ultracapacitors) with the performance of the same ATR-72 propelled by direct hydrogen combustion.
Download the white paper to get a breakdown of the design, configuration and performance of each model’s subparts. Plus, get a sense of how efficient it is to get models up and running with Simcenter Amesim and its collection of libraries and apps.