The purpose of this thesis is to address the urgent need for an effective and rapid reduction of the environmental impact of the aeronautical sector. Aviation is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, and there is a pressing need to mitigate this phenomenon. The most promising solution currently is the transition to hydrogen-powered aircraft. Hydrogen has a high energy density and produces very low emissions when burned, generating only water and minimal NOx. While research on the development of hydrogen-powered aircraft is well underway, a major limitation to their widespread adoption would be the lack of airport infrastructure for refueling. To address this issue, this thesis presents a methodology for economically and performance-based preliminary sizing of a ground-based hydrogen production, storage, and distribution system for refueling aircraft with this innovative propulsion system. The methodology considers factors such as the specific airport’s traffic volume, the characteristics of the aircraft operating the flights, and the technical data of the system elements. The methodology will be applied to real cases, including Athens Airport for regional transport with turboprop aircraft and Milan Malpensa and Paris Charles De Gaulle Airports for short-haul transport with turbojet aircraft.
Lo studio presentato in questa tesi nasce dall’esigenza di limitare l’impatto ambientale del settore aeronautico in modo efficace e rapido. L’aviazione infatti contribuisce in modo significativo alle emissioni di gas serra e all’inquinamento atmosferico, ed è necessario ridurre l’entità di questo fenomeno. Attualmente, la soluzione più promettente sembra essere quella di adottare aerei con propulsione a idrogeno. L’idrogeno, infatti, oltre ad avere una densità energetica elevata, permette di avere una combustione a bassissime emissioni, poiché genera solo acqua e una quantità minima di NOx. La ricerca sullo sviluppo di velivoli alimentati ad idrogeno è già ben avviata, tuttavia, la carenza di infrastrutture aeroportuali per il rifornimento di questi aerei rappresenterebbe un grosso limite alla loro adozione diffusa. A tal proposito, questa tesi si pone l’obiettivo di presentare una metodologia che consente di effettuare un dimensionamento preliminare economico e prestazionale di un impianto di terra per la produzione, lo stoccaggio e la distribuzione dell’idrogeno, e per il rifornimento dei velivoli. Essa tiene conto di vari fattori, come il volume del traffico nello scalo specifico, le caratteristiche dei velivoli che operano i voli e i dati tecnici degli elementi dell’impianto. La metodologia presentata verrà poi applicata a dei casi reali, nello specifico all’aeroporto di Atene, per quanto riguarda il trasporto regionale con velivoli a turboelica, e agli aeroporti di Milano Malpensa e Parigi Charles De Gaulle, concentrandosi invece sul trasporto a breve raggio operato con velivoli turbogetto.
Preliminary sizing of an airport facility for refueling liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft
Filoni, Antonio
2022/2023
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to address the urgent need for an effective and rapid reduction of the environmental impact of the aeronautical sector. Aviation is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, and there is a pressing need to mitigate this phenomenon. The most promising solution currently is the transition to hydrogen-powered aircraft. Hydrogen has a high energy density and produces very low emissions when burned, generating only water and minimal NOx. While research on the development of hydrogen-powered aircraft is well underway, a major limitation to their widespread adoption would be the lack of airport infrastructure for refueling. To address this issue, this thesis presents a methodology for economically and performance-based preliminary sizing of a ground-based hydrogen production, storage, and distribution system for refueling aircraft with this innovative propulsion system. The methodology considers factors such as the specific airport’s traffic volume, the characteristics of the aircraft operating the flights, and the technical data of the system elements. The methodology will be applied to real cases, including Athens Airport for regional transport with turboprop aircraft and Milan Malpensa and Paris Charles De Gaulle Airports for short-haul transport with turbojet aircraft.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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Filoni_executive_summary.pdf
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Descrizione: Executive summary
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Filoni_thesis.pdf
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Descrizione: Thesis
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/209178