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Reducing emissions from commercial aircraft is a high priority for the airline industry. Worldwide, carbon emissions from jet engines are responsible for about 2.5% of those emissions (private airplanes add another 1%). That’s less than emissions from cars and trucks, which account for about 12% of global carbon emissions, but still significant enough to need remediation. Airbus and Toshiba think they have an possible answer.
Sustainable aviation fuel is a hot topic, although some of the technology is questionable. One technique will turn corn into jet fuel, which is great if you ignore the fact that between fertilizers and pesticides and diesel fuel to operate the farm machinery, it takes about 1.2 barrels of oil to grow an acre of corn, according to AgDaily. Whether the trade off between SAF and oil consumption is worthwhile is for someone smarter than me to figure out. That process may also involve some hydrogen, and CleanTechnica readers know what that means!
Toshiba, Airbus, & Liquid Hydrogen
Toshiba and Airbus have a different plan, although theirs involves propellers rather than thrust from the back of a jet engine. The key to their proposal is that hydrogen needs to be cooled to minus 253º C to turn it into a liquid. It just so happens that at such low temperatures, some materials become superconductors of electricity, so why not use the cold in the liquid hydrogen to increase the electrical efficiency of a motor that will then spin a propeller? The partnership is intended to co-develop a two-megawatt superconducting prototype.
As my colleague Jennifer Sensiba noted two years ago, “The problem with (green) hydrogen is typically that it takes so much electricity. Not only does it take a lot to separate the hydrogen out from water, but you’ve then got to compress it, pump it, transport it, pump it again, and then run it through a fuel cell to make electricity again. At every step, there are conversion losses, and you end up using several times more electricity than you would have used to just charge a battery.”
The benefit of superconductivity is that it allows electricity to flow through an electrical conductor largely without resistance when it falls below a certain temperature. According to the two companies, this approach can mesh well with hydrogen-powered aircraft if they use liquid hydrogen at a temperature of -253°C not only as a fuel, but also for efficient cooling of the electric drive systems. “Cryogenic technology could allow for a nearly unimpaired power transmission within the electric systems of the aircraft, significantly improving their energy efficiency and performance,” they added.
Superconducting Research
In a joint press release, the two companies said Airbus UpNext, a wholly owned subsidiary of Airbus, and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, Toshiba Group’s energy arm, will cooperate and mutualize experience on superconducting technologies for future hydrogen-powered aircraft.
In the quest to decarbonize the aviation industry, hydrogen-powered aircraft are one of the promising solutions to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, at least for short- to medium-haul routes. It’s unlikely they will be used on the NYC to Sydney route that covers nearly 10,000 miles from wheels up to touchdown. Superconducting technologies offer a unique advantage for these aircraft, using -253°C liquid hydrogen as a fuel, but also to efficiently cool the electric propulsion systems. Cryogenic technology could allow for a nearly unimpaired power transmission within the electric systems of the aircraft, significantly improving their energy efficiency and performance.
“Partnering with Toshiba presents a unique opportunity to push beyond the limitations of today’s partial superconducting and conventional electrical motors. Through this collaboration, we aim to deliver a breakthrough technology that could unlock new design possibilities, in particular for Airbus’ future hydrogen-powered aircraft. This partnership represents a natural and essential step in advancing superconducting motor technology to meet the needs of the aerospace industry,” said Grzegorz Ombach, senior vice president and head of disruptive R&T for Airbus.
“Toshiba’s expertise in superconducting technology for high current flow, motor drive technology for precise current control, and advanced rotating machinery technology for stable, high speed operation forms a strong foundation for this partnership. We both recognize the tremendous potential of superconducting technologies in shaping the future of aircraft and driving the decarbonization of the aviation industry. We are confident that our collaboration with Airbus will play a key role in advancing next-generation technologies for the aerospace sector,” said Tsutomu Takeuchi, who is responsible for Toshiba’s power systems and director of the Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation.
Over the past 10 years, Airbus has made efforts to de-risk superconducting technologies. Recently, Airbus UpNext launched Cryoprop, a demonstrator to test a two-megawatt class superconducting electric propulsion system. Toshiba has been conducting research and development of superconducting technology applications for nearly half a century and has released its own two-megawatt class superconductivity motor prototype for mobility applications in June 2022.
The Airbus Tech Hub Japan was announced in May 2024. This initiative is designed to develop partnerships in the country to advance research, technology and innovation in aerospace and push boundaries to prepare for the next generation of aircraft. The partnership between Toshiba and Airbus is the first such arrangement in Japan.
The Takeaway
This partnership between Airbus and Toshiba is a bold move. Both are to be congratulated for thinking outside the box about decarbonizing air transportation. No one knows right now whether this collaboration will bear fruit — ie, be commercially successful. Thomas Edison was once derided for wasting time on trying to find a filament for his electric light bulb and failing hundreds of times. He shrugged off his detractors by saying after each failed experiment that he now knew one more material that didn’t work, which meant he was that much closer to finding one that did. You have to admire that sort of positive attitude.
On the other hand, the idea of airports building the infrastructure to keep liquid hydrogen supercooled seems a bit overly optimistic, even by Edison’s standards. Piping and pumps that can handle such low temperatures are a rarity and tend to not last very long. Putting all that aside, if Airbus and Toshiba can build a two-megawatt engine, that could move the needle on non-polluting flight. Never say never.
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