Conceptual Aircraft Design of a Research Baseline with Direct Liquid Hydrogen Combustion

Abstract

In order to reduce the climate impact of aviation, it is essential to explore alternative energy carriers and revolutionary technologies. To fully evaluate the potential of these technologies, it is necessary to establish a research baseline that considers the evolutionary and realistic advances in technology development. This paper addresses the conceptual design of a short-medium range aircraft with direct liquid hydrogen combustion and an anticipated technology scenario in 2035. The associated aircraft design studies are conducted with an iterative, multidisciplinary and multifidelity aircraft design process, which takes a holistic view of the aircraft and includes a sub-workflow for the sizing of the liquid hydrogen tanks and systems. The final design of the research baseline is based on the results of the aircraft design studies, which primarily focus on the integration of the liquid hydrogen tanks and systems. Local sensitivity studies are conducted to assess for potential uncertainties of the LH2 tanks and systems integration. In the final step, the feasibility of the liquid hydrogen research baseline is demonstrated and its performance compared to the kerosene reference aircraft and a sustainable aviation fuel aircraft for 2035.