Feasibility study on the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel for conventional passenger aircraft

Feasibility study on the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel for conventional passenger aircraft | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Feasibility study on the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel for conventional passenger aircraft Stephanie Roscher, Andreas Gobbin, Andreas Bardenhagen This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7014071/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 27 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in CEAS Aeronautical Journal → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Aviation is at a turning point. To meet the 1.5-degree climate target, technological innovation is essential. Although recent advancements have partially decoupled air traffic growth from fuel consumption, projected growth rates of 3 to 5 percent render current measures insufficient. Cost-efficient and sustainable solutions are required – hydrogen offers such potential. This paper investigates the suitability of hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels, focusing on its integration into conventional tube-and-wing aircraft during the conceptual design phase, with an anticipated entry-into-service around 2035. Liquid hydrogen is stored in non-integral aluminum tanks located in the rear fuselage. Hydrogen-capable engines are assumed, with no further propulsion system analysis. Three existing aircraft types are selected as references and redesigned using a modular design tool, alongside a baseline variant that reflects future state-of-the-art developments in mass and efficiency. The hydrogen-powered variants retain the external geometry of the reference aircraft to ensure high commonality and retrofit potential, with a fuselage extension allowed for tank accommodation. Design methods follow standard handbook approaches, augmented by dedicated modules for hydrogen integration, particularly for tank sizing and placement, using manufacturer data as benchmarks. Initial results show that hydrogen-powered aircraft have higher operating empty masses due to tank mass but require less fuel mass. Environmentally, hydrogen aircraft eliminate CO2 and reduce NOx emissions, though increased water vapor emissions warrant further examination. Operational flexibility is slightly reduced compared to conventional aircraft. These findings highlight the feasibility and limitations of integrating hydrogen into existing aircraft configurations, offering a promising step toward sustainable aviation. Overall aircraft design hydrogen fueled aircraft conceptual liquid hydrogen tank design sustainable aviation Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 27 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in CEAS Aeronautical Journal → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7014071","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":482397937,"identity":"f1442532-16f0-4571-913a-adbe2cde4b72","order_by":0,"name":"Stephanie Roscher","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA6klEQVRIie3QP4vCMBjH8ScEni6prpGKvoVKBz047rUoAVdXB8FM8S1U8IU4Vh7o1BdwcA52uUlw1cE/UTtqruMN+UKGDB/6SwF8vv9bBhBoAGZPg9u7qEUEPQnWJ1JVBP4gXR2W5XG27fSXh1yy9ecEgzCD/fQ9ibMgSUT+m7R/FEpWjD8MbwzZqnAQQIyYplEaKYzOhmLkIuahcQ1DbJ00zdMW2a+Ya0UurocjylDTUEp+J1lFtGMYIbdvoV4qVDJghXqQzSp3DFsYZv8YdWWwKb/Z+ituNovebj9zDOMv1zqAz+fz+Wp0AyrEQcg5y/V6AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Technische Universität Berlin","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Stephanie","middleName":"","lastName":"Roscher","suffix":""},{"id":482397938,"identity":"c3d417f3-d312-4c40-8937-5d2a0e89d57f","order_by":1,"name":"Andreas Gobbin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Technische Universität Berlin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Andreas","middleName":"","lastName":"Gobbin","suffix":""},{"id":482397939,"identity":"41d6e173-17f8-4e53-9ca2-131541c34a63","order_by":2,"name":"Andreas Bardenhagen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Technische Universität Berlin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Andreas","middleName":"","lastName":"Bardenhagen","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-30 20:53:07","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7014071/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7014071/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13272-026-00967-x","type":"published","date":"2026-04-27T15:57:03+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108437615,"identity":"9d20b97a-6a74-4db1-b24c-f546d73e2949","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-04 16:00:35","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":823571,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Feasibilitystudyontheuseofhydrogenasanalternativefuelforconventionalpassengeraircraft.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7014071/v1_covered_df6373e4-e740-4926-aaad-701c0a0f51b1.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Feasibility study on the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel for conventional passenger aircraft","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Overall aircraft design, hydrogen fueled aircraft, conceptual liquid hydrogen tank design, sustainable aviation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7014071/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7014071/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eAviation is at a turning point. To meet the 1.5-degree climate target, technological innovation is essential. Although recent advancements have partially decoupled air traffic growth from fuel consumption, projected growth rates of 3 to 5 percent render current measures insufficient. Cost-efficient and sustainable solutions are required \u0026ndash; hydrogen offers such potential. This paper investigates the suitability of hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels, focusing on its integration into conventional tube-and-wing aircraft during the conceptual design phase, with an anticipated entry-into-service around 2035. Liquid hydrogen is stored in non-integral aluminum tanks located in the rear fuselage. Hydrogen-capable engines are assumed, with no further propulsion system analysis. Three existing aircraft types are selected as references and redesigned using a modular design tool, alongside a baseline variant that reflects future state-of-the-art developments in mass and efficiency. The hydrogen-powered variants retain the external geometry of the reference aircraft to ensure high commonality and retrofit potential, with a fuselage extension allowed for tank accommodation. Design methods follow standard handbook approaches, augmented by dedicated modules for hydrogen integration, particularly for tank sizing and placement, using manufacturer data as benchmarks. Initial results show that hydrogen-powered aircraft have higher operating empty masses due to tank mass but require less fuel mass. Environmentally, hydrogen aircraft eliminate CO2 and reduce NOx emissions, though increased water vapor emissions warrant further examination. Operational flexibility is slightly reduced compared to conventional aircraft. 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