Abstract
A kerosene fuelled aircraft was modelled within a performance tool and fuel burn and the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and water vapour at different stages of flight throughout the mission were estimated. Adaptions were made to engine and aircraft parameters within the performance tool to accommodate a liquid hydrogen fuel over the same given mission. Once an iterative design process had been completed to ensure the aircraft could perform the given mission, the performance tool was again used to calculate total fuel burn. Fuel burn results alongside predicted emission indices were used to estimate the emissions of NOx, water vapour from hydrogen-fuelled aircraft. The use of hydrogen fuel over kerosene fuel in the modelled aircraft resulted in the removal of carbon-based emission species alongside 86% reduction in NOx and 4.3 times increase in water vapour emission. The climate impact of this switch with the reduction in NOx emission was assessed by a 3D global atmospheric chemistry and transport model, STOCHEM-CRI, which found a significant reduction in the concentration of a potent greenhouse gas, ozone, and an oxidizing agent, OH, by up to 6% and 25%, respectively. The reduction of OH levels could induce a positive radiative forcing effect as the lifetime of another important greenhouse gas, methane, is increased. However, the magnitude of this increase is very small (~0.3%), thus the overall impact of the reduction in NOx emissions is likely to have a net negative radiative forcing effect, improving aviation’s impact on the environment. However, further work is warranted on effects of other emission species, specifically water vapour, particulate matter and unburned hydrogen.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 1660 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Atmosphere |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 12 Oct 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:M.A.H.K. and D.E.S. thank N.E.R.C. grant (A Scientist just like me) (grant reference-2021/EDIE011Shallcross), Bristol ChemLabS and the Primary Science Teaching Trust under whose auspices various aspects of this work was supported. © 2022 all rights reserved.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.