The jet engine of the future is one step closer to reality.
Scientists at ETH Zurich recently examined the real-time flames and vibrations of a futuristic hydrogen-powered engine.
"Our study is the first of its kind to measure the acoustic behavior of hydrogen flames under real flight conditions," said Nicolas Noiray, a researcher at ETH Zurich, in a press release. The team published their findings in the journal Combustion and Flame.
The ETH Zurich research team sought to address the difference between a conventional jet engine, which burns kerosene fuel, and a proposed hydrogen one.
"Hydrogen burns much faster than kerosene, resulting in more compact flames," explained Noiray. Minimizing the vibrations and their interactions with flames as the engine burns fuel will be key to a safe engine.
"These vibrations can fatigue the material, which in the worst case could lead to cracks and damage," said researcher Abel Faure-Beaulieu. "This is why, when new engines are being developed, care is taken to ensure that these vibrations do not occur under operating conditions."
The team leveraged the facilities at ETH Zurich and injection nozzles from HYDEA, a hydrogen project, to measure and predict vibrations and acoustics in real flight conditions.
The ETH Zurich team's work is an important step in designing a jet engine optimized for hydrogen that can facilitate medium- and long-haul aircraft. The biggest selling point is cutting down on aviation's carbon pollution, which represents 2.5% of the world's total, according to Our World in Data.
Burning hydrogen fuel creates water vapor instead of the pollution from burning kerosene that contributes to the dangerous warming of the planet.
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While battery-powered airplanes have use cases, the weight of the battery limits the size of the aircraft. Another option is fuel-cell hydrogen engines like a Joby Aviation initiative, which similarly faces size and weight concerns.
That's why a jet engine fueled by hydrogen is looked to as the long-term solution for global aviation. ETH Zurich's research joins similar studies and ventures by teams around the world, including one by the FlyZero project.
Still, other hurdles need to be cleared to optimize the use of hydrogen as fuel. Unlocking green hydrogen will be key. Current methods of extracting hydrogen can counterproductively rely on dirty energy like natural gas.
That's why there is a full-on blitz by researchers to find new ways to store and capture hydrogen to jump-start the hydrogen economy.
Noiray and the ETH Zurich team have no doubts about the future development of the jet engines and hydrogen tanks needed to power the clean aviation of the future. The news release indicates it expects engines, aided by the research, to be ready for on-the-ground testing in a few years.
"Humanity has flown to the moon; engineers will undoubtedly be able to develop hydrogen planes," Noiray confidently declared.
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