Boeing's Hydrogen-Powered Airplane Completes Test Flights
Boeing's European outpost has achieved a technical feat that, while not expected to revolutionize air travel, at least shows progress in the effort to lower the overall reliance on very pricey (and, you know, scarce) jet fuel. Boeing Research & Technology Europe, which operates out of Madrid, has been working on the "Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane" since 2001. The goal has been to "demonstrate for the first time that a manned airplane can maintain a straight level flight with fuel cells as the only power source."
What does this mean on a practical level for regular folks like us? Not a whole heck of a lot, with most applications likely being for extending the fly time of unmanned aircraft -- although the technology could be applied to regular jets to help power the electrical systems.
Of course, like many scientific endeavors, the ultimate practical use may not yet be realized by the engineers involved. (Wasn't the active ingredient in Viagra originally intended to help people with hypertension? Researchers, of course, quickly realized an interesting side effect there. The same could always happen with fuel cells, no?)
Boeing sent a the piloted, fuel cell-powered aircraft into the air three times during February and March. The two-seat Diamond Aircraft Dimona motor-glider, with a 16.3m (53.5ft) wingspan, was modified with a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, lithium-ion battery hybrid system. Launched from Ocaña air field, near Madrid, Spain, the plane flew straight and level at 3,300 feet on fuel cell power alone for 20 minutes at 60 miles per hour.
From The Register.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jessica Tufts said 4:28PM on 4-04-2008
"the effort to lower the overall reliance on very pricey (and, you know, scarce) jet fuel"
Hype, hype, hype. I bet the hydrogen fuel it used is far more expensive than jet fuel. Furthermore, I bet that fossil fuels were used to generate the hydrogen. Get back to us when both of these objections are overcome.
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aquacalyx said 4:49PM on 4-04-2008
The fact that a jet can use Hydrogen as fuel is the accomplishment. Hydrogen does not have to come from petroleum based products. Great job Boeing!
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Saul said 5:20PM on 4-04-2008
The real deal will be the HYDROGEN home heating system. This will save the planet.
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Joseph Leslie said 6:05PM on 4-04-2008
I have a question? What is the source of the Hydrogen for the Airplane? If the Hydrogen comes from the electrolysis of water, you need a source of cheap electricity to sepate the water molecule into Hydrogen and Oxygen. Other than the convenience factor and that it is not a hydrocarbon fuel, the NET ENERGY BALANCE is NEGATIVE (just like Ethanol) which means you put more energy into the process than you get out in the Hydrogen!
Places like Iceland with huge geothermal potential and small human populations are ideal areas to manufacture Hydrogen from water. Iceland could become the OPEC (maybe OHEC) of Hydrogen production.
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sharandrudy said 8:29PM on 4-04-2008
How stupid we all are. Boeing is simply using a centuries old process wherr many farmers used plain home made "water for fuel" to power their tractors. "Hydrogen on demand",from a simple home made concept. Anyone can produce this type of safe and nonpolluting power but we have been brain washed by the big powers-that-be to thinking we must use "killer" fossel fuel for power when there are now millions who are paying about a penny a gallion to powere their vehivles and warm their homes. Wake up world. Why do you think that the price of oil is going so high? They can see the hand writeing on the wall and are cashing in before it is too late.
An opened eye can see forever.
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duke said 10:55PM on 4-04-2008
Every glass of water is part hydrogen. Adding the numbers one gets 18 as the molecular weight of the compound. 2 of the 18 are hydrogen. So about 11% is the weight fraction of hydrogen. Extracting it and storing at high pressure or as a liquid is not a basement hobby lab exercise.
Almost any chemistry introduction has a demonstration of using DC current to fill two water filled columns with the separated gasses, O2 and H2. Volume of hydrogen is obviously twice that of oxygen.
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duke said 10:57PM on 4-04-2008
Every glass of water is part hydrogen. Adding the numbers one gets 18 as the molecular weight of the compound. 2 of the 18 are hydrogen. So about 11% is the weight fraction of hydrogen. Extracting it and storing at high pressure or as a liquid is not a basement hobby lab exercise.
Almost any chemistry introduction has a demonstration of using DC current to fill two water filled columns with the separated gasses, O2 and H2. Volume of hydrogen is obviously twice that of oxygen.
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Daniel Gaunt said 4:45AM on 4-06-2008
when the fossil fuels run out in a few years I bet there is suddenly a well developped easy source of energy in place to replace it, they'll probably have anti-grav motors in place and on stand by
http://freeextras.blogspot.com/
http://lifeorsomethingnotquitelikeit.blogspot.com/
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Don Stevens said 1:14AM on 4-07-2008
Hydrogen powered aircraft may soon become a reality. Millennium Cell (traded on the Nasdaq as MCEL) has developed and holds patents on its Hydrogen On Demand system. It utilizes widely available boron to produce hydrogen as it is needed. This system was proved safe and effective last year is a nine hour test flight of a small unmannded vehicle for the U.S Air Force. Larger scale applications are sure to follow.
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jim van vranken said 11:55AM on 4-07-2008
There is no shortage of fossil fuels. We are using the existing fuel in a wasteful manner. Nuclear powerplants should be mandatory. France is 80% Nuclear, they have the right answer to a non problem. The United States gets 48% of it's oil from Canada and only 13% from the Middle East. Tell the Arabs to kiss our behind and let them swim in oil or dictate a price per barrel that wont make us dependant and bankrupt!
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sunnywun said 9:49PM on 4-07-2008
what kind of gas kept the German Air Ship Graf Zeppelin in the sky before it was stuck by lightening as it was docking in N.J.I thought it was Hydrogen Gas! ooooPs
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Robert Alexander said 7:05AM on 4-09-2008
Low pressure hydrogen and local geothermal energy used at the home or business without transporting it will solve the energy crisis nicely. Hydrogen can be generated by solar collectors of the newest variety that work on cloudy days and are not destroyed by hail. A small well or bed of coils five feet or slightly more will do a good job of heating, cooling and supplying hot water by using geothermal energy. This technology already exists, we need to improve it and make it readily available by mass producing the units and materials. Government can help through low cost financing and research grants along with tax incentives to both producers and consumers. Barack Obama has a vision for this new alternative energy production and tax plan.
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davidebert said 3:37PM on 4-10-2008
Most of the people who commented misread the article. It is NOT A JET running on hydrogen. It is an electric prop plane running on a hydrogen fuel cell, and the tech will likely be used for recon and combat drones. Its like comparing a golf cart to a fet-fueled pulling tractor. Sheesh.
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Carl Tapp said 10:33PM on 6-16-2008
THAT IS JUST GREAT ! ! ! BUT WHAT TYPE OF ENGINE DOES
THE AIRCRAFT HAVE ? IS IT A PISTON ENGINE WITH PROPELLOR,
OR A TURBINE ENGINE ? THE FUEL CELL PRODUCES HYDROGEN
FOR FUEL , BUT THERE MUST BE SOME KIND OF DEVICE TO USE
THE FUEL .
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Josh said 11:05PM on 6-21-2008
The aircraft in this article has a hydrogen fuel cell stack, which produces electricity by combining the hydrogen in it's fuel tanks with oxygen in the air. The electricity is then used to run an electric motor that turns it's prop. Hydrogen can also be burned like oil derived fuels in an internal combustion engine, but like all ICEs, the energy lost in the process through friction and unutilized heat make it highly inefficient. The fuel cell application is two to three times more efficient than engines burning fuel, whatever that fuel might be.