How Airbus Is Revolutionising The Age Of Aviation Through Technology and Education

A historic milestone occurred that is set to change the face of the aviation sector as a whole. It is regarded as the “most important transition this industry has ever seen”, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury.

Airbus has unveiled its new project in the creation of a trinity of the first zero-emission aircraft to reduce aviation's climate impact. 

In order to do this, the European aerospace company is using hydrogen as an important technology pathway to achieve an ambition to bring zero-emission commercial aircraft to the market by 2035.

Although, the news is faced with adversity by its critics about fulfilling the promises it sets out to complete.

The project has been baptised as ZEROe and here’s what you need to know.

How The Technology Works:

Airbus is set to divert its attention away from traditional jet fuel by using this alternative hydrogen propulsion technology and synthetic fuels.

Hydrogen has an energy-per-unit mass which is three times higher than traditional jet fuel. If generated from renewable energy through electrolysis, it would emit no CO2 emissions as a by-product.

Airbus sees two primary uses for hydrogen:

• Hydrogen propulsion: Hydrogen can be combusted via modified gas-turbine engines or converted into electrical power that complements the gas turbine via fuel cells. This combination creates a highly efficient hybrid-electric propulsion chain.

• Synthetic fuels: Hydrogen can also be used to create e-fuels, which are generated exclusively through renewable energy. Hydrogen produced using renewable electricity is combined with carbon dioxide to form a carbon fuel with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

ZEROe Aircraft Concepts:

“Because hydrogen has a lower volumetric energy density, the visual appearance of future aircraft will likely change. This is to better accommodate hydrogen storage solutions that will be bulkier than existing jet fuel storage tanks.” 

Given the immense challenge that airbus has set itself, they’ve designed a trinity of different concepts each with their own unique designs to spearhead disruptive emission reduction:

1. Turbofan: “Two hybrid-hydrogen turbofan engines provide thrust. The liquid hydrogen storage and distribution system is located behind the rear pressure bulkhead.”

2. Turboprop: “Two hybrid-hydrogen turboprop engines, which drive eight-bladed propellers, provide thrust. The liquid hydrogen storage and distribution system is located behind the rear pressure bulkhead.”

3. Blended-wing body: “The exceptionally wide interior opens up multiple options for hydrogen storage and distribution. Here, the liquid hydrogen storage tanks are stored underneath the wings. Two-hybrid hydrogen turbofan engines provide thrust.”

Why Is This Implementation Of This Technology Important:

This news comes at the same time regarding the education of people about the impending disaster of climate change and offsets this by creating a carbon-neutral society via a project in New York.

“Direct emissions from aviation account for about 3% of the European Union's total greenhouse gas emissions and more than two per cent of global emissions”, according to the EU Commission.

This problem will only increase in 2020 as “global annual international aviation emissions are around 70% higher than in 2005 and they could grow by a further 300% by 2050.”

Fossil fuel-powered air travel continues to rise, immune to the growing environmental concerns. ZEROe stresses the need to reduce commercial aircraft’s carbon footprint.

“I strongly believe that the use of hydrogen, both in synthetic fuels and as a primary power source for commercial aircraft, has the potential to significantly reduce aviation's climate impact", states Faury.

The EU aims to become the world's first carbon-neutral region by 2050 and has made hydrogen a cornerstone of its strategy.

Problems faced with ZEROe:

Critics caution however that “this level of fuel production could only be achieved with extremely large capital investments in sustainable aviation fuel production infrastructure and substantial policy support."

The main problem is that hydrogen is a gas that makes up 75% of the universe and which does not emit any carbon dioxide when used but it is difficult to isolate. Therefore a new European Clean Hydrogen Alliance aims to invest €430 billion until 2030 to scale up the hydrogen value chain across the continent.

Faury (CEO) stressed on Monday that "decisive action from the entire aviation ecosystem" as well as "support from government and industrial partners" will be needed for the company to reach its 2035 target.

The Purpose of ZEROe:

The ultimate target of ZEROe and more crucially, the target for society as a whole should be to drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

To do this we should stay educated regarding the effects that climate change has on our planet and how we can prevent it.

Scientific developments and engineering innovations are only a consequence of fostering interest in subjects at young ages. Educating children is the most important factor in preventing climate change through renewable technologies. You can do this through our experienced tutors and interactive online tuition classes at Sherpa.