A Review of the Advantages and Challenges in Hydrogen Aviation Power

Developing low-carbon fuel, novel propulsion system and aircraft are crucial pathways to achieving sustainable development for the aviation industry. As a typical green energy, hydrogen can be utilized in multiple ways for aviation power, bringing technical revolution to aviation power. This paper first discusses the hydrogen characteristics and the advantages of hydrogen energy aviation power from three aspects: zero carbon emissions, expansion of flight envelope, and improvement of cycle efficiency. On this basis, this paper reviews the technical pathways for hydrogen-based aeronautical propulsion technology, discusses the typical hydrogen aviation propulsion configuration: fuel cell, turbine, turbo-electric hybrid, and turbo-fuel cell hybrid and the others. Finally, the paper summarizes the key technologies that urgently need to be conquered for hydrogen energy aviation power, including hydrogen cycle, combustion, heat exchange, control, transportation and hydrogen safety. It can be objectively predicted that the hydrogen-based aviation propulsion has the potential to replace traditional jet fuel engines once fully realized.