A steady-state model based evaluation of performance characteristics and feasibility analysis of retrofit hydrogen-powered aircraft configurations

In the current study, in light of the zero-carbon emissions targets, the potential of hydrogen-powered propulsion aircraft is evaluated. The analysis of the aircraft power performance is carried out based on a comparison of jet-fuelled propulsion against the characteristics of that powered by hydrogen. A regional aircraft type ATR 72-600 was chosen for the study. It was configured with three propulsive retrofits: jet-fuelled, direct hydrogen combustion, and hydrogen fuel cell. A computational environment was created in Simulink to model the aircraft’s power requirements, fuel consumption, propulsion efficiencies and emissions. Both direct combustion and fuel cell hydrogen propulsions demonstrated performance capabilities within key operational parameters with the benefit of reduced fuel consumption in terms of mass, and, thus, better thrust specific fuel consumption. A fuel mass drop of 50% and 80% were obtained for the hydrogen fuel cell and direct combustion, respectively. A weight penalty, however, remains a major drawback in the implementation of hydrogen technology.