The European airplane maker, Airbus (EADSY, Financial) is always trying to supercede the market leader in commercial aircraft; the U.S.-based Boeing (BA, Financial) when it comes to grabbing more orders for similar aircraft range. Thatâs why when Boeing came up with the Dreamliner program, Airbus soon initiated the A350 program to catch up with its sole competitor. But it seems like Airbus is taking a revolutionary step for bringing "fuel cell technology" into the commercial aviation market. Since there is a lot going on with respect to fuel emission norms for airplanes, this step might create a new epic in the history of the aviation industry. Letâs find out the details on the Airbusâ venture.
What is fuel-cell technology
A fuel cell is a device that transforms the energy of hydrogen into electricity by a cold combustion process of mixing hydrogen with oxygen. The exhaust products produced through the process are water, heat and oxygen-depleted air.
Sources have confirmed that fuel cells produce electricity in a much more efficient manner than electricity produced by combustion engines. Also as water is the main emission through the technology, it aids in reducing fuel consumption and emissions besides offering a weight savings aerodynamic advantage.
This technology is at the nascent stage of development and it will take some time for a commercial aircraft to utilize this concept. But if we talk about this concept from the automotive sectorâs standpoint, itâs something not at the nascent stage as several automobile honchosâ are trying to implement the fuel cell vehicle (FCV) concept to gain market prominence in regions which have strict emission regulations, for example, California.
Looking into Airbusâ past endeavors
Back in 2008, Airbus partnered with German Aerospace Center (DLR) to perform the first successful flight test of fuel cell technology on the testbed A320. In 2011, the company partnered with Parker Aerospace to make progress into using fuel cells to power an aircraft.
The European aircraft honcho has been investing in research and development linked to fuel cell technology for which it received the GreenTec Award âĂ an award for projects on eco-management and environmentally friendly technologies âĂ last year. Management sources have shared that Airbus invests around 2 billion euros per year on research and development to improve their aircraftâs performance.
Airbus research majors in integration of fuel cell technology into commercial aircraft. Airbusâ fuel cell research activities focus on âmultifunctional fuel cellâ system which not only supplies electricity to the aircraft, but also makes efficient use of the by-products into various aircraft systems. Airbus expects to do the final testing of the fuel cell technology in the middle of the decade on an A320.
The recent collaboration
The agreement announced early this month by Airbus and South Africaâs National Aerospace Centre to jointly fund research by Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) into the application of fuel cells on airliners earmarks a new chapter in the quest to make air transport more environment friendly.
HySA's systems director, Professor Bruno G. Pollet, stated that âalthough fuel cell technology for land vehicles has rapidly matured, the new research with Airbus and the National Aerospace Centre is aimed at gaining an understanding of how hydrogen fuel cells could perform over an aircraftâs service life while subjected to the harsh and rapidly changing climatic and environmental regimes that commercial jetliners operate in.â
The project with HySA Systems Competence Centre has been undertaken to identify the factors influencing fuel cell performance, ageing and monitoring. Such detailed research aids in considering how these factors could turn this âtechnology into a game changerâ for the aircraft manufacturing industry.
To conclude
Airbus is the worldâs leading commercial aircraft manufacturer whose customer focus, commercial know-how, technological leadership and manufacturing efficiency have served as the fundamental pillars driving it to the forefront of the industry. Through innovation and out-of-the-box thinking, Airbus continues to meet its eco-efficiency goals. With airlines looking for alternate sources of energy, such as biofuels to power their aircraft, this technology spearheaded by Airbus might help to power a number of aircraft functions for commercial aircraft in the upcoming era.
