Page 8 - AAA JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2022 Online Magazine

its new midsize aircraft concept in December
2021. The ambitious liquid Hydrogen powered
aircraft concept could deliver the same per-
formance and comfort as today’s widebody
jetliners. According to ATI’s report ‘ ‘Realising
Zero-Carbon Emission Flight’, approximately
20 percent of an aircraft’s take-off mass, on
an average comprises of fuel, leaving only
approximately 25 percent for payload such as
passengers or cargo. The aircraft structure,
propulsion system powerplant, auxiliary sys-
tems etc) make up approximately 55 percent of
the aircraft ‘dry mass’. While hydrogen is suit-
able for use as a direct fuel to power aircraft
engines modifications will require to be made
to the combustion chambers within gas turbine electrical power systems. Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), a busi-
engines. There is also the challenge associated ness unit of Pratt & Whitney, a division of Raytheon Technologies
with handling Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) which has is working on Hybrid-electric propulsion and hydrogen fuel cell
to be stored at or below -253°C (-487°F) in technologies and announced a flight demonstrator programme
cryogenic fuel tanks. to advance hybrid-electric propulsion technology in 2021. Ground
testing of the hybrid-electric propulsion technology starts in 2022.
The FlyZero research project is slated to pub-
lish its research findings, later this year and De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (De Havilland Canada)
in addition to technology roadmaps, market has provided a Dash 8-100 turboprop as the flight demonstrator
and economic reports and a sustainability for the P&WC led programme, which is slated to make its maiden
assessment, will provide regional, narrowbody flight in 2024. Collins Aerospace, which is also a part of Raytheon
and midsize aircraft concepts. ATI FlyZero’s Technologies will provide P&WC with an advanced electric motor
zero-carbon emission midsize aircraft concept and controller for the programme. Maria Della Posta, president,
will have a 54-metre wingspan and is powered Pratt & Whitney Canada said “With a long-time commitment to
by two hydrogen combustion turbofan engines. sustainability and as Canada’s top aerospace investor in research
The aircraft will have a range of 5250NM and & development, having invested $500 million CAD annually, we are
be able to carry 279 passengers Some of the driving economic growth, innovation and workforce expertise to
technologies that need to be developed for the benefit the environment. Hybrid-electric technology has an import-
concept aircraft, include hydrogen gas turbines, ant role to play in enabling the next step-change in efficiency for
hydrogen tanks, cryogenic fuel systems, wings aircraft engines, and we are uniquely positioned to demonstrate
without fuel tanks (dry wings), fuel cells and this potential.”

8 January/February 2022 WWW .GBP .COM.SG/ AAA