An innovative aviation hydrogen handling and refueling project, spearheaded by Airbus with support from academic partners, airport operators, and leading hydrogen industry companies, has been launched to demonstrate small-scale liquid hydrogen aircraft ground operations at three European airports.
The drive to decarbonize our economy and enhance Europe’s energy independence is propelling the adoption of hydrogen for mobility and stationary applications. Hydrogen is set to play a key role in decarbonizing short- and medium-haul aviation, significantly advancing low-carbon aviation operations.
10,8 million for the GOLIAT
The GOLIAT (Ground Operations of Liquid hydrogen Aircraft) project is set to receive €10,8 million in funding from the EU’s Horizon Europe Framework Programme via CINEA, the European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency. Spanning four years, the project aims to showcase the safe and reliable development and utilization of high-flow liquid hydrogen (LH2) handling and refueling technologies for airport operations.
The GOLIAT consortium comprises 10 partners from eight countries: Airbus (France, Germany, UK), Chart Industries (Czech Republic, Italy), TU Delft (Netherlands), Leibniz University Hannover (Germany), Royal Schiphol Group (Netherlands), Rotterdam The Hague Airport (Netherlands), Vinci Airports (France, Portugal), Stuttgart Airport (Germany), H2FLY (Germany), and Budapest Airport (Hungary).
Actions to adopt LH2
- The consortium aims to bolster the aviation industry's adoption of LH2 transportation and energy storage solutions through the following actions:
- Developing and showcasing scaled-up LH2 refueling technologies tailored for future large commercial aircraft.
- Demonstrating small-scale LH2 aircraft ground operations at airports.
- Formulating the standardization and certification framework essential for future LH2 operations.
- Evaluating the sizing and economics of hydrogen value chains for airports.
As a clean and efficient fuel, LH2 holds significant promise in curbing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with airport operations while reducing dependency on fossil fuels. LH2's remarkable energy density facilitates long-range aircraft travel. Nonetheless, the widespread deployment of hydrogen at airports entails comprehensively understanding its operational, regulatory, economic and safety implications, alongside assessing the capacity and performance of related technologies.
The advantages of hydrogen in aviation
Hydrogen represents a highly promising technology due to its specific energy-per-unit mass, which is three times higher than that of traditional jet fuel. When produced from renewable sources via electrolysis, hydrogen emits zero CO2 emissions, making it feasible for renewable energy to potentially power large aircraft over extended distances without the adverse environmental impact of CO2 emissions.
However, due to hydrogen's lower volumetric energy density, future aircraft designs are likely to evolve to accommodate bulkier hydrogen storage solutions, which will differ from existing jet fuel storage tanks in appearance.
Two main applications for hydrogen:
Hydrogen Propulsion: Hydrogen can either be combusted in modified gas-turbine engines or converted into electrical power through fuel cells, which complement the gas turbine. Combining both methods creates a highly efficient hybrid-electric propulsion system powered entirely by hydrogen.
Synthetic Fuels: Hydrogen can also be utilized to produce e-fuels, which are generated exclusively from renewable energy sources.
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