Aviation H2 to explore Liquid Ammonia for Turbofans

Sydney company Aviation H2 announced yesterday that it had selected liquid ammonia turbofan combustion as the path to get the first hydrogen-fueled aircraft in Australia by the middle of next year.

Aviation H2 says it chose liquid ammonia after a three-month feasibility study and would modify a Dassault Falcon 50 business jet to run on the new fuel.

"By implementing this power path, Aviation H2 can fly aircraft with hydrogen fuel using significantly less weight than alternative power paths while generating the same amount of power,” says Aviation H2 Director, Dr Helmut Mayer.

“In fact, the stored weight of liquid ammonia energy is substantially lighter than gaseous hydrogen and can be kept at a much lower tank pressure.”

Aviation H2 chose the Falcon 50 because it has three engines, of which only two are required for flight. The third engine space will be used to test a smaller engine with liquid ammonia before modifying the two main engines.
Falcon 50s also have a larger weight capacity, reducing the risk posed by weight challenges.

The company believes making use of current technologies and infrastructure will be important to future customers because it will enable them to modify existing fleets rather than invest in new aircraft.

Aviation H2 is planning to patent and commercialise the technology via public listing after certification.

More information is on the Aviation H2 website.