The global air transportation industry emits more than 900 million tons of carbon per year, accounting for 2% of the carbon emissions from human activities. Liquid hydrogen, as a clean energy source, has become a core solution for aviation decarbonization due to its own characteristics, and Fullcryo provides liquid hydrogen solutions for aerospace development.
In the field of aerospace propulsion, the combination of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen rocket engine is the peak of efficiency, which is mainly used in space launch, deep space exploration and other scenarios with extremely high thrust requirements. Its specific impulse can reach 450-460 seconds, far exceeding the 360 seconds of the traditional kerosene/liquid oxygen engine, which means that it can generate more thrust with the same fuel mass. For example, the core stage of China’s Long March V launch vehicle uses the YF-77 liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine, which has pushed China into the ranks of high-thrust rockets; the U.S. Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) has also achieved the feat of traveling to and from space with liquid hydrogen power. The combustion products of these engines are only water, which fully meets the environmental requirements of space missions.
In the aerospace field, hydrogen-fueled turbine engines are mainly used in medium- and long-range routes by modifying conventional gas turbine systems to use liquid hydrogen directly as fuel, retaining the high power density characteristics of gas turbines. The Airbus “ZEROe” concept is planned to use a hybrid architecture – a hydrogen-fueled gas turbine driving a generator and an electric motor driving a fan – to optimize performance in different phases of flight. It will reduce NOx emissions by 50-75% compared to conventional jet fuel engines, while retaining the high power density of a gas turbine for medium- and long-range routes. Safran’s BeautHyFuel project has demonstrated the feasibility of liquid hydrogen for small and medium-sized aircraft through the integration of a liquid hydrogen storage system with a turboprop engine.
Hydrogen fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity through an electrochemical reaction, with an energy conversion efficiency of 50% to 60% and only water as a by-product. Hydrogen fuel cells are currently more suitable for small and medium-sized aircraft such as regional airplanes and drones, as well as auxiliary power supply systems in space missions. The U.S. Apollo spacecraft used the technology to power the cabin and generate potable water, while ZeroAvia is at the forefront, with the first flight of its retrofitted 6-seat hydrogen fuel cell aircraft in 2020, and the further installation of a 600kW power system on the Dornier 228 aircraft in 2023, pushing the 19-seat regional aircraft towards zero-carbon flights.
Technology breakthrough: Hypoint’s development of High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (HTPEM) technology is a milestone. This technology eliminates the need for a heat exchanger and coolant, increasing fuel cell power density by a factor of three and energy density by a factor of five of traditional lithium-ion batteries, providing a lighter and more efficient power option for drones and eVTOLs (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Vehicles).
The physical characteristics of hydrogen energy present both advantages and challenges:
The “high-pressure dilemma” of gaseous storage: gaseous hydrogen needs to be stored at 700 atmospheres, which means that the tanks need to withstand pressures equivalent to 7,000 meters in the deep sea, and the weight of the tanks can account for more than 20% of the total weight of the vehicle, severely compressing the payload.
The “cryogenic labyrinth” of liquid storage: Liquid hydrogen can be stored at six times the mass efficiency of its gaseous counterpart, but it needs to be kept at a very low temperature of -253°C. The very small size of the hydrogen molecules makes it possible to store it at a very low temperature. The tiny size of hydrogen molecules makes it easy for them to penetrate the metal lattice, triggering “hydrogen embrittlement” and forcing the use of expensive nickel-based alloys or composites for the tanks. The 10 liquid hydrogen refueling stations planned for Shaanxi are an infrastructure network that addresses this pain point.
Airbus: It plans to launch its first hydrogen turbine-powered airliner by 2035 and invest in liquid hydrogen storage and refueling ecosystems, aiming to cover short- and medium-range routes.
Pratt & Whitney: Participating in the HySIITE project, the company is developing a hydrogen vapor-injected intercooled turbine engine to improve fuel efficiency through waste heat recovery, and plans to put it into service after 2035.
Safran: the BeautHyFuel project has entered its second phase, validating the end-to-end integration of liquid hydrogen storage systems and engines, and promoting the zero-carbon retrofit of turboprop aircraft.
On the liquid hydrogen aviation track, China is catching up at a unique pace:
Leading position in the field of UAVs: The first flight of a tons-class liquid hydrogen UAV developed by a Shaanxi team was successful. Behind the ultra-1000km range is a 40% increase in energy conversion efficiency of the air-cooled fuel cell and the sealing miracle of a new type of composite material at ultra-low temperatures.
Strong drive of the policy engine: The Outline for the Development of Green Aviation Manufacturing Industry (2023-2035) lists hydrogen energy as the core direction, as if it were a “turbocharger” for the development of the industry. From Liaoning’s hydrogen internal combustion airplane to Xi’an’s cryogenic material research, distinctive technology attack clusters are being formed around the world.
In the short term, the hybrid architecture of hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen turbine engines will become the preferred choice. For example, Airbus “ZEROe” turbine-electric program can use high-efficiency gas turbines in the cruise phase, and switch to fuel cells in the take-off and landing and low-speed phases, taking into account energy efficiency and emission reduction. This “localized” power mix is expected to be the first to be applied to regional jets with less than 100 seats around 2030.
With the popularization of green hydrogen (hydrogen from renewable energy) and the maturity of storage and transportation technologies, the cost of liquid hydrogen is expected to gradually drop from three times the current cost of jet fuel to the same level. This will promote its application from short-range scenarios such as drone logistics and emergency rescue to trans-oceanic routes and nuclear thermal propulsion for deep space exploration, etc. NASA’s “Mars Direct” program envisions the use of liquid hydrogen as a propellant for nuclear thermal engines, with a specific impulse of up to 900-1000 seconds, which will significantly shorten the flight cycle of manned Mars missions.
The scale of liquid hydrogen aviation depends on the synergy of the whole chain of “hydrogen production – storage and transportation – aircraft manufacturing – airport facilities”. Shaanxi and other places have attempted to shorten the R&D cycle by 30% and reduce costs by 25% through the integrated model of “industry, academia, research and application”; while the European Union has unified the technical standards through programs such as CHJU to create a 100-billion-dollar industrial cluster. In the future, the interoperability of technical standards and infrastructure on a global scale will be a key step towards the globalization of liquid hydrogen aviation.
As a leading liquid hydrogen equipment and system integration enterprise in China, Fullcryo has been deeply involved in the construction of China’s first civil liquid hydrogen production, storage, transportation and use of the whole chain of demonstration projects, and has accumulated a wealth of practical experience and system optimization capabilities.
Infrastructure includes a 400m³ high-vacuum multilayer insulated LH₂ spherical tank, a 40m³ LH₂ tanker, and a liquid hydrogen refueling station with 1136.4 kg storage, 1024.2 kg/day refueling capacity, 45.2 MPa output pressure, and dual 35 MPa / 70 MPa refueling capability, while maintaining an energy consumption of just 0.6 kWh/kg-H₂. All systems are integrated into an intelligent remote safety monitoring and warning platform.
Our core strengths include:
Facing the growing demand for liquid hydrogen in the aerospace industry, we are continuously upgrading our product standards, expanding the certification of airworthiness equipment, and building an ecological platform for liquid hydrogen that connects scientific research, the military industry, and commercial aerospace.
