Aircraft

Zero-emissions hydrogen cargo airship prototype planned for 2025

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Is it time to resurrect hydrogen airships – not to carry passengers, but as fast, cheap and convenient cargo carriers?
H2 Clipper
Is it time to resurrect hydrogen airships – not to carry passengers, but as fast, cheap and convenient cargo carriers?
H2 Clipper
H2 Clipper has completed initial CFD testing to validate its low-drag design and fuel burn estimates
H2 Clipper
H2 Clipper is working with Dassault Systems on simulation and development of its airship concept
H2 Clipper
Will investors have the stomach to fund something like the H2 Clipper through FAA certification?
H2 Clipper
The H2Clipper would cruise at about 10,000 feet, lifted and propelled by green hydrogen
H2 Clipper
Range figures of 6,000 miles and beyond would deliver reasonably quick intercontinental shipping with zero emissions
H2 Clipper
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H2 Clipper presents a very compelling case to bring back an extremely controversial technology, saying that large electric airships lifted and powered by green hydrogen stand ready to transport massive cargo loads over enormous distances much faster than cargo ships, opening up inland logistics facilities with minimal ground infrastructure, and doing it all with zero emissions.

We're talking cargo loads up to 340,000 lb (150,000 kg – or the equivalent of about 115 Toyota Corollas), distances up to 6,000 miles (9,650 km, or roughly the distance between Los Angeles and Barcelona), at cruising speeds over 175 mph (280 km/h, or a little under one-third the speed of a Dreamliner passenger plane – but 7-10 times faster than a cargo ship can go).

That's an incredibly compelling set of numbers, particularly given the cost; H2 Clipper claims it'll cost a quarter of what today's air freight services cost per ton-mile, making it an economically disruptive way to move bulk cargo as well as an opportunity to decarbonize trans-continental logistics operations.

Hydrogen airships have a bit of a reputation, of course, thanks to the tragic and compelling footage of the Hindenburg disaster in 1937. But as we discussed when we first profiled H2 Clipper's technology, there are many reasons why people may have taken the wrong message away from that incident, including some pretty heinous skullduggery from helium lobbyists.

The H2Clipper would cruise at about 10,000 feet, lifted and propelled by green hydrogen
H2 Clipper

As momentum gathers behind hydrogen as a next-generation clean aviation fuel, there's a compelling case to question why it can't also be used as a cheap, green lift gas as well, to open up these kinds of clean cargo transport possibilities with minimal, if any, risk to human life.

In 2021, H2 Clipper was accepted into Dassault Systems' 3D Experience lab accelerator program, giving this small company the ability to use cutting-edge simulation and development tools to refine its design. The company has completed simulated wind tunnel tests using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), validating its super-low drag aerodynamics and putting some weight behind the company's fuel burn and operational cost estimations.

H2 Clipper has completed initial CFD testing to validate its low-drag design and fuel burn estimates
H2 Clipper

At this stage, the company plans to get a prototype built by 2025, and to have a full-sized hydrogen airship flying in 2028. It's still a risky play for investors; the FAA currently bans hydrogen as a lift gas. But green hydrogen projects worth billions of dollars are springing up across the globe, so hydrogen itself stands to have a lobby group behind it like it's never had before.

In that context, one interesting use case for hydrogen airships is to move green hydrogen itself; H2 Clipper says that these aircraft will beat rail, trucks, ships and even pipelines on price for hydrogen exports moving any distance over 1,000 miles (1,600 km). These "pipelines in the sky" will also be as green as the bulk hydrogen they're shifting, adding a further benefit that green H2 exporters might be willing to take some risks betting on.

You can check out H2 Clipper's 20-minute presentation at the First International Hydrogen Aviation Conference in September 2020 in the video below.

Source: H2 Clipper

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21 comments
pete-y
Got to be worth exploring but most people will want to see lots of testing for lightning etc. before travelling on one.
BogBeast
Surely a fleet of these autonomously crossing the oceans carrying cargo that would normally be carried by heavy oil powered container ships would be a minimal safety risk in the event of a Hindenburg type incident. Obviously, it would take a huge number to replace the world's current container shipping capacity, but it has to be a good place to start validating it as an effective alternative to hydrocarbon powered transport
TedTheJackal
The CFD needs more red.
stevendkaplan
I suppose it might work if the gas bladders and airship skin were made out of something like carbon nanotubes. Still until it’s thoroughly tested you won’t see me on one of these airships.
paul314
Very little stuff that needs to be airfreighted needs full airliner speeds (think of all those out-of-season fruits). And if the conventional carbon-heavy transport systems actually have to pay for the environmental damage they do, that's another cost imporvement.
Mike Vidal
Helium isn't green? Takes some energy to produce hydrogen.
Trylon
When handled with good safety procedures, hydrogen can be pretty safe as a lifting gas. Most people don't know that the Hindenburg's famous predecessor, the Graf Zeppelin, flew over a million miles without serious incident.
notarichman
note that the title of the article says "cargo", not people. My idea is to make it autonomous like a Tesla wants to be. Carry conex containers from ships
to designated, officiated (customs) onshore docks with great access to rail and freeways. thus freeing up docking and delivery time. shipping customers would pay
extra for the faster deliveries of course. a ship 2000 miles from the coast could off load a conex on one to fly in a fan shaped pattern to maybe 1000 miles of onshore
landing ports parallel to the coast. it could really help emergency supplies for disaster locations. one or more of the dirigibles could even be carried on board the ships
to be inflated, loaded, and sent off. hmm, carrying drugs, bombs, and people? might be a problem!
mark34
In the video presentation he promotes the use of this unit for aerial firefighting, stating that it can can 3 times the load of modern firefighting aircraft. Does anyone wonder about the wisdom of trying to hover a container full of hydrogen over a forest fire? Also, the uplift from the hot smoke from the fire, combined with the rapid change in weight of the airship once the fire suppressant is dropped (usually very rapidly) should result in a very entertaining and possibly pyrotechnic airshow. Watch how modern forest firefighting is done with precise drops from very low levels.
Tacky-on
Hydrogen is NOT an energy source. It is barely an energy currency.

These blimps are really running on coal or oil most likely as that is how they will create the electricity to make the hydrogen. Much less efficient than just using electricity or oil though. Maybe someday if they figure out how to mine hydrogen out of another planet or moon efficiently, then OK. for the moment, hydrogen at best takes the same amount of energy to make as you get using it to power things.

Which, like most environmental 'solutions', make it pointless, stupid, and 180 degrees off target.