Boeing Examining Technologies for Sustainable Aerospace 2050

Civil Aviation

New Delhi:  World’s leading aircraft manufacturer Boeing has been focusing on operating aircraft to make sustainable aerospace by 2050 for which it has been concentrating on Fleet Review, operational efficiency, renewable energy and advanced technology.

Speaking at a media briefing session of Boeing ahead of Dubai Air Show, Brian Yutko, Vice President and Chief Engineer, Sustainability and Future Mobility, Boeing, said the company has been “evaluating novel propulsion systems and fuels,” with focus on Hydrogen as fuel since “Boeing has significant expertise in hydrogen as fuel.”

Storing Hydrogen as gas being limited, it needs to be stored as liquid but there is need for plenty of energy to store it in liquid form. But this is essential since hydrogen in liquid form can be used as cyrogenic fuel in aviation, he said.

“Boeing is doing plenty of Research and Development on when and where to use hydrogen in an aircraft and how it is to be used. The challenge is that the gas cans need to be four times bigger and it needs to be kept really cold,” Yutko said. But, he felt that hydrogen as fuel for future has immense potential and so work is going on to develop it as fuel for aircraft. With about 40,000 aircraft in operation, there is need to scale up the production of sustainable fuel, Yutko said.

He said Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) needs to be produced in significant quantities if the aviation sector is to meet the ambitious target it has set for 2050 which includes reduction in fuel consumption and also emission reduction by the latest generation of aircraft.