Hydrogen Jet Engine
Stupid
Good article, stupid companies trying fuel cells. We'll show them how to do NOx free hydrogen jets with onboard oxygen. This is precisely a good program for open source, where small ($1B) SAB peoprietary teams can't pull it off because they are not efficient or effective. At 10x efficiency via open, this is a perfect student project, and we can dedicate a full 240 Campus to it next year. First housing, second energy, third cars, fourth jets.
More Stupid
- This article indicates 25% weight and 15% energy savings with hydrogen and fuel cells. [1]. ,Study based on triple hybrid system [2]
Calculations
- Fuel load of a Boeing 747 - 50k gallons [3]. It's bad - about 9 gallons volume of hydrogen = 1 gal fuel if hydrogen is at 10000 psi.
- But - entire internal volume is 30k cu ft, or 225k gallons. Making it equivalent to 25k gallons equivalent of fuel.
Bogus from here, this was first try:
- Cargo volume of boeing 747 is 27,467 cubic feet. [4]
- This is about 30000 gallons of gasoline equivanet.
- Range of a boeing 747 - 8000 miles. [5]
- Fuel tank is 50k gallons, or extra 7000 gallons equiv of fuel.
- So we have a total of 37000 gallons gasoline equivalent of space if we stick hydrogen in the cargo bay.
- But! The weight of the loaded plane would be much lower with hydrogen.
- The plane would be approximately 90 tons lighter - hydrogen is lighter at 1 kg weighing same as the energy equivalent of 2.8 kg of other typical fuels. - 50k *1.8 kg= 90 tons!
- Without any form factor changes, the Boeing 747 could be converted to hydrogen and fly much farther. Empty plane flies about 7000 mi? Loaded 3000? Then half loaded would be 5000 miles! We should look into it more, but it sounds like we gain 2000 miles by flying on hydrogen!
- Conclusion: if we burned hydrogen for fuel, we have a fully loaded range of 5000 miles in a boeing 747 - more than 50% higher than on fossil fuel. NY to London is under 3500 miles. Kansas City to Moscow is 5300 miles. The only caveat is that you'd have to travel only with carry-on baggage! No problem, because who wants to stay in Moscow anyway.
Nonbogus Conclusion
Interior of Boeing 747 can hold max 25k gal equivalent of hydrogen. But, that can extend 50 maybe 100%, due to 3x lower weight of fuel. So we at best have same range on hydrogen.
Liquid hydrogen requires 1/3 of its energy for liquefaction. [6]
To fly with hydrogen compressed - a different form factor of airplane would be needed. Different sizes than Boeing 747 need to be explored, such as smaller commercial jets.
