Hydrogen fuel cell integrated turbofan engines offer lower costs when climate impact accounted for aviation purposes

The aviation sector is projected to account for over a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades. Current reliance on kerosene-fueled turbofan engines leads to significant fuel losses, low exergy efficiency, and severe environmental impacts. This study proposes and evaluates a hybrid turbofan configuration that decouples the fan-stage from the turbine using a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) powered by hydrogen. The system is assessed through a comprehensive thermodynamic, exergoeconomic, and exergoenvironmental framework, benchmarked against conventional engines. Thermodynamic cycle analysis shows that SOFC integration improves overall thermal efficiency by approximately 14–22% in the core, with gains of ∼0.3 in thermal efficiency. Despite a 40% increase in relative system cost due to hydrogen and SOFC complexity, exergoeconomic evaluation indicates long-term savings from lower fuel consumption. Exergoenvironmental analysis reveals an 89% reduction in emission damage cost and a 68% drop in total environmental impact, with hydrogen eliminating CO 2 , SO 2 , and UHC emissions and reducing NO x by 35%. Climate simulations indicate that SOFC hybrids lower the aviation-induced global surface temperature rise by over 75% through 2100. The system achieves over $26 million in avoided environmental damage over its operational lifetime. While the SOFC hybrid engine entails higher initial investment and design complexity, it offers a practical and forward-looking solution for aviation decarbonization. The proposed configuration aligns with international climate targets and presents a viable transition pathway for future aircraft propulsion systems. • SOFC-turbofan hybrids cut emissions damage cost by up to 89%. • Hydrogen-SOFC integration boosts engine core efficiency by 14–22%. • NOx emissions cut by ∼35%; CO 2 , SO 2 , and UHC fully eliminated. • Earth surface warming from aviation reduced by over 75% with SOFC system. • Lifecycle cost offset by $26M+ in saved environmental damage over 30 years.