Abstract
Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) have both been been proposed as alternative fuels to Jet-A that could reduce the environmental impact of aviation. LH2 tanks present a complex integration challenge that impacts aircraft sizing and performance. Significant investments in infrastructure are required to make both SAFs and LH2 a commercially viable aviation fuel. To explore the tradeoffs in environmental and economic performance of alternative fuels, a conceptual design model for analyzing liquid-hydrogen aircraft has been developed. Models of well-to-wake environmental impact and operating cost are implemented to quantify the impact of Jet-A, SAFs, and LH2. Two LH2-powered aircraft are presented; a regional turboprop similar in performance to a DHC-8-200, and a single-aisle turbofan similar to a 737-8. The analysis shows that LH2-powered aircraft can reduce the environmental impact of Jet-A aircraft by 88%. As a result of higher assumed fuel costs, the operating costs are higher (+28% for the regional and +53% for single-aisle) for the LH2-powered aircraft. SAFs are also shown to significantly reduce the environmental impact relative to Jet-A. Operating costs are comparable for both LH2 and SAF aircraft. Sensitivities to uncertainties in the environmental and economic models are shown and areas for relevant future work are identified.
Published Version
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