Will future aircraft using hydrogen as fuel create persistent contrails in the atmosphere? This is something Airbus wants to test – quickly!
We have seen that Airbus is putting a lot of emphasis on the future of hydrogen-powered aircraft. The manufacturer runs multiple development programs relating to hydrogen because the technology needs to address many challenges. Carrying hydrogen on board can’t be done in the same way as jet fuel. Hydrogen fuel cells pose their own challenges with heat dissipation. Plus, ground storage of hydrogen and its entire supply chain, are a huge challenge.
Image: Airbus
And then there is the matter of the contrails that these hydrogen aircraft will leave behind. This specifically relates to aircraft that use hydrogen combustion. We have seen that there will be at least two “flavours” of hydrogen aircraft. Hydrogen fuel cell aircraft will use H2…