Airbus to test hydrogen contrail Impact in ‘Blue Condor’ project
In the UK, Airbus UpNext, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Airbus, has revealed a flight test program to study the contrails produced by a hydrogen combustion engine as part the Company’s ZEROe roadmap.
The project, named “Blue Condor”, will launch two modified Arcus gliders, one equipped with a hydrogen combustion engine and one equipped with a conventional kerosene-powered combustion engine, in order to compare contrails emitted at high altitudes.
“We know that hydrogen emits no carbon dioxide when burned, but we also know that with water vapor and heat being the most significant by-products, hydrogen combustion does produce contrails. Although these contrails differ significantly to those produced by conventional JetA/A1 combustion engines, understanding their composition will be key to support our decarbonisation journey,” said Sandra Bour Schaeffer, CEO of Airbus UpNext.
The German Research Centre DLR will collect and analyze data captured using their measurement instrumentation sensors on a chase aircraft, while Airbus will ensure the provision of the hydrogen system and equipment, including the combustion engine as well as the details of the flight test mission.
Category: Fuels
