Initial sizing of a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell commercial aircraft with electric aft-fuselage propulsion

Abstract Hybrid hydrogen fuel cell (HH2FC) aircraft is one of the viable technological pathways to reduce carbon emissions in the aviation industry. For a configuration with aft-fuselage propulsion, a novel method is established for the initial sizing of the HH2FC aircraft in a situation where empirical data is lacking. The carbon emission reduction capabilities and potential for reducing fuel and carbon tax costs can be preliminarily assessed by the proposed initial sizing method. A case study on a narrow-body aircraft indicates that, at the current technological level, the carbon emissions and cost of the HH2FC aircraft will increase to achieve the same payload and range as the conventional aircraft. However, with the improvement of hydrogen technologies, such as fuel cell power density and hydrogen tank gravimetric density, HH2FC aircraft will reduce 6.6% carbon emissions compared to conventional aircraft. As a result, both economic and environmental benefits can be achieved in the future.