New Hydrogen Engine Test Shows Future of Aviation

An anonymous reader writes to mention Boeing has successfully completed tests for the engine that will power HALE, the new prop plane that will be able to stay aloft for long periods of time. "The wünderengine, developed by the Ford Motor Company, went for three days under the simulated conditions of a 65,000-feet flight, which is definitely better than a Taurus and apparently exceeded their expectations on fuel economy. Chris Haddox at Boeing's Advanced Systems said that while it will be several years before HALE flies, the key to this aircraft is the propulsion system and this recent test was very promising."

The ü!

[Anonymous Coward]

The diareses should be taken away from wünderengine, where they don't belong, would come in handy on "über(yourexpression)" where they would be more correct.

Old dreams, new achievements

[Mutatis Mutandis]

For aircraft developers, the advantage of hydrogen has always been that it delivers more energy per weight unit than traditional hydrocarbon fuels. The matching disadvantage is that because of its low density, it is much bulkier, so requires bigger and heavier fuel tanks. Temperature is also an issue with pro and cons. On the one hand, LH2 is very cold, so ice formation on the skin of the aircraft can be an issue. On the other hand, LH2 is still chemically stable at high temperatures that would turn fossil fuels into a nasty sludge, or even break down hydrocarbon molecules before they can be properly burned. All that always made LH2 a very suitable fuel for a big rocket or for the hypothetical Mach 4 space plane. Its use on a slow high-altitude UAV poses very different challenges.

Re:hydrogen combustion at 65,000 feet?

[russ1337]

But this of course requires oxygen to happen. Is there much oxygen available at 65,000 feet?

From ask a scientist [anl.gov]

Question - Does air composition change with altitude in the Troposphere?

Is oxygen concentration different at an altitude of e.g. 10000m than at sea level?
-----------------
The composition of the atmosphere remain relatively constant up to the ozone layer at an altitude of around 60,000 feet (though that number does vary somewhat).

So, it appears the composition of air is relatively similar at high altitude, just there is LESS of it ... i.e the air is too thin to support most life.... Of course you can compress it so it becomes breathable, which is essentially what a commercial aircraft does to keep the passengers alive.

Re:sounds like it will be a really hot technology

[hardburn]

Germany *had* to use hydrogen; the Allies, in part of the long pissing-contest that lead up to WW1, wouldn't let them have any helium.

True enough. The main way get helium is to extract it from natural gas emitted from oil fields [wikipedia.org], such as the ones in Texas. Thus, the United States is one of the few countries with an abundance of helium.

They had asked the United States for helium, but the US feared that the Zeppelins would be converted for war (a legitimate concern, since Hitler was already in power and beginning expansionist policies). So they used hydrogen instead.