Story of Boeing's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Aircraft

Video Title :	Story of Boeing's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Aircraft
Description :	By Glenn Pew for AVweb.com Boeing has flown a manned aircraft on hydrogen fuel cell power. The full text of Boeing's release follows: MADRID, Spain, April 03, 2008 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today that it has, for the first time in aviation history, flown a manned airplane powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The recent milestone is the work of an engineering team at Boeing Research & Technology Europe (BR&TE) in Madrid, with assistance from industry partners in Austria, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. "Boeing is actively working to develop new technologies for environmentally progressive aerospace products," said Francisco Escarti, BR&TE's managing director. "We are proud of our pioneering work during the past five years on the Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane project. It is a tangible example of how we are exploring future leaps in environmental performance, as well as a credit to the talents and innovative spirit of our team." A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts hydrogen directly into electricity and heat with none of the products of combustion such as carbon dioxide. Other than heat, water is its only exhaust. A two-seat Dimona motor-glider with a 16.3 meter (53.5 foot) wingspan was used as the airframe. Built by Diamond Aircraft Industries of Austria, it was modified by BR&TE to include a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell/lithium-ion battery hybrid system to power an electric motor coupled to a conventional propeller. Three test flights took place in February and March at the airfield in Ocaña, south of Madrid, operated by the Spanish company SENASA. During the flights, the pilot of the experimental airplane climbed to an altitude of 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) above sea level using a combination of battery power and power generated by hydrogen fuel cells. Then, after reaching the cruise altitude and disconnecting the batteries, the pilot flew straight and level at a cruising speed of 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) for approximately 20 minutes on power solely generated by the fuel cells. According to Boeing researchers, PEM fuel cell technology potentially could power small manned and unmanned air vehicles. Over the longer term, solid oxide fuel cells could be applied to secondary power-generating systems, such as auxiliary power units for large commercial airplanes. Boeing does not envision that fuel cells will ever provide primary power for large passenger airplanes, but the company will continue to investigate their potential, as well as other sustainable alternative fuel and energy sources that improve environmental performance. BR&TE, part of the Boeing Phantom Works advanced R&D unit, has worked closely with Boeing Commercial Airplanes and a network of partners since 2003 to design, assemble and fly the experimental craft. The group of companies, universities and institutions participating in this project includes: Austria -- Diamond Aircraft Industries France -- SAFT France Germany -- Gore and MT Propeller Spain -- Adventia, Aerlyper, Air Liquide Spain, Indra, Ingeniería de Instrumentación y Control (IIC), Inventia, SENASA, Swagelok, Técnicas Aeronauticas de Madrid (TAM), Tecnobit, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and the Regional Government of Madrid United Kingdom -- Intelligent Energy United States -- UQM Technologies.
Views :	47764
Rating :	4.77
Keywords, Tags :	avweb Boeing hydrogen fuel cell aircraft pilot dimona motor glider flying airplane alternative electric flight glenn pe
Video Length :	1 : 59

Comments :

we need to get away from fosil fuel. this seems promissing.

The problem is that most hydrogen is made from fossil fuels especially the steam reformation of natural gas that produces carbon monoxide then CO2. This is at a rate of 4 H2 for one CO2 molecule. Electrolytic conversion is relatively low efficiency and it is more efficient to use the raw electric power. However there is research into using nuclear reactors to directly produce hydrogen.

I love it wonderfull idea wow no more oil . mr. thanks for the video .

Hydrogen is the most powerful element in the space.I think that hydrogen is a future,expecialy hydrogen fuel cell.But a problem is in making hydrogen. Hydrogen tanks isn`t dangeures,also they aren`t much dangeurous then petrol today.Hydrogen is a most weightless element in PSE end imediately go up when came out of the tank.

ANYTHING that uses electrolysis to liberate hydrogen for fuel is LESS EFFICIENT than using the fossil fuel directly to power the car. Those are the facts. It's more efficient to run your car on cooking oil than it is to run it on a 'state of the art' fuel cell/electric/whatever vehicle. You can't get more efficient than direct internal combustion, if you think you can...then...well, you're going against the laws of physics and the current state of technology. It's all a ridiculous gimmick. Ok?

The facts are: We, the average consumer, has the ability to gain access to engines that are in gross excess of what we need. The amount of power per gallon (the US should of gone metric), is superior to other fuels, but there is a high environmental cost in burning fossil fuels. Hydrogen is meant to be clean because, as you know, when the hydrogen recombines with the oxygen, it'll just form H2O and that isn't damaging to the environment

Thats only on a 1:1 scale. To use a small gas engine to generate the power needed for hydrolysis is much more efficient than the best of the direct piezo injected, round cam'd motors. Its the emissions of a lawn motor engine combined with a gas engine getting 100mpg. Even so, one could just wire a power electric motor to generate the power needed to an extra alternator and be even more efficent. This is how many water conversion guys do it today. I would know theres a shop that does this near me

logic also says we are running out of fossil fuels. do you really see no point in developing an alternative?

"First flight of a manned a/c powered by a fuel cell?" I thought Liberty flew with a fuel cell at Oskosh a few years ago...

F-22 is even better, boeing builds some of the F-22's body. it has the most awesome engine too