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Assertion: New aircraft designs will be able to safely accommodate the large fuel tanks needed for hydrogen

Hydrogen is highly flammable and prone to leaking if not contained and handled properly. However, building safe, leakproof, lightweight fuel storage for liquified hydrogen for airplanes is an engineering challenge that requires no new fundamental scientific discoveries or inventions. There is ongoing progress in creating leakproof storage tanks that can safely withstand frequent high-altitude travel.1 As tanks become safer and more leakproof, the main engineering challenge will become finding ways to accommodate the larger fuel tanks, a problem to which many aviation companies are already spending millions to find a solution.2

In the possible event of an accident, hydrogen may be even safer than conventional jet fuel. Hydrogen is the smallest element on the periodic table, and as a result, it dissipates into the atmosphere very quickly. The small size of a hydrogen molecule is generally viewed as a disadvantage because it causes hydrogen to easily leak. However, in the context of a potential aviation accident, hydrogen's small size may actually reduce danger. Since it dissipates rapidly into the air, it significantly reduces the chance of a large, persistent fuel pool forming—like the kind that can result in catastrophic fires after a crash. This rapid dispersion means any hydrogen fires are more likely to burn up quickly and vertically rather than spread across a surface as jet fuel does. Studies that compare hydrogen fires to jet fuel fires have found that hydrogen fires dissipate much quicker and with less damage to their surroundings.3

There will always be some inherent risks associated with hydrogen aircraft, just as there are inherent risks with flying in general, but technological advancements in hydrogen storage will minimize these risks to the point that people will accept hydrogen aviation as the norm for flying.

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Footnotes​

  1. Green Car Congress. (2024, September 24). MTU Aero Engines completes testing of LH2 fuel system for Flying Fuel Cell. https://www.greencarcongress.com/2024/09/20240924-mtu.html ↩

  2. Boyles, H. (2023, February 21). Climate-Tech to Watch: Hydrogen-Powered Aviation. Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. https://itif.org/publications/2023/02/21/climate-tech-to-watch-hydrogen-powered-aviation/ ↩

  3. Memon, O. (2022, December 8). How Hydrogen Compares To Jet Fuel In Terms Of Safety. Simple Flying. https://simpleflying.com/hydrogen-vs-jet-fuel-safety-comparison/ ↩