CFM is a big name in the aviation industry which was formed by the collaboration of Safran Aircraft Engines & GE.
CFM has recently partnered with Airbus, the industry giant, and the two companies intend to bring Hydrogen planes to the segment.
Reason For The Partnership
As the world is quickly pacing towards the zero-emissions objective by 2035, both companies are eyeing this as an opportunity that might open up new avenues for them to explore.
Specifics About The Experiment
The experiment will be unique in that it will utilize an A380 flying testbed which will have direct combustion engines that will be powered by tanks of liquid Hydrogen.
What Types Of Fuel Tanks Will Be Used?
These fuel tanks will be anything that we’ve seen until now and will be specially prepared at the Airbus facilities in France & Germany.
Responsibility Of Airbus
Airbus will be responsible for accurately determining the Hydrogen propulsion requirements as well as for providing the platform for testing the direct combustion engine in the cruise phase.
Responsibility Of CFM
CFM on the other hand will be responsible for modifying several parts of a GE Passport turbofan to make them capable of being run on Hydrogen.
Some of the parts that CFM will modify for this purpose include the combustor, control system as well as fuel system of the turbofan.
What About The Engine?
It is worth noting that although Airbus is a European company, the engine that will be used for the project has been assembled in the United States.
Several reasons contributed to the selection of this particular engine for the project, the main reasons taken into consideration included: fuel flow capability, advanced turbo machinery and its physical size.
Where Will The Hydrogen-Powered Engine Be Mounted?
In the unique mechanism established particularly for this purpose, the engine will be mounted on the rear fuselage of the A380 so in this way experts will be able to closely monitor the engine emissions produced by this one of a kind setup.
The system will not head into the air without ground testing and experimentation to ensure any unfavorable situation.
Airbus ZEROe Strategy
Airbus undertook the ZEROe strategy back in September 2020 and all of these tests and partnership is in the continuity of it.
CFM RISE Program
Similarly, CFM seems determined to make the aviation industry cleaner and greener than its current situation and has thus undertaken serious steps under the CFM RISE Program.
ZeroAvia Also Pursuing The Hydrogen-Powered Plane Strategy
ZeroAvia is another company that is pursuing this field and is operating from the UK. The company flew a Hydrogen-powered plane last year which not only put ZeroAvia in the limelight but also showed the giants that if a small company can go down this lane, they can as well.
The 6-seater Piper M-Class aircraft was used for this purpose by ZeroAvia that used the Cranfield airport in the UK.
ZeroAvia is a US company that is based in California but is pursuing this venture with help of partners based in the United Kingdom.
Final Verdict
With the aviation industry being responsible for 2.5% of all global CO2 emissions, governments all around the world are making stringent rules for this segment as well to pull down the overall emissions produced by it.
The latest partnership between Airbus and CFM is likely to play a big role in shaping up the future of the Zero emission planes and that of Hydrogen planes in general.
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