Masu zanga-zangar hydrogen na Universal Hydrogen sun yi tashin farko zuwa tafkin Moss, Washington, a makon da ya gabata. Jirgin gwajin ya dauki tsawon mintuna 15 kuma ya kai tsayin kafa 3,500. Dandalin gwajin ya dogara ne akan Dash8-300, jirgin sama mafi girma na hydrogen man fetur a duniya.
Jirgin mai lakabin Lightning McClean, ya taso ne daga filin jirgin saman Grant County (KMWH) da karfe 8:45 na safiyar ranar 2 ga Maris kuma ya kai tsayin daka mai tsawon kafa 3,500 mintuna 15 bayan haka. Jirgin wanda ya dogara da takardar shaidar cancantar jirgin sama na FAA, shi ne na farko na gwaji na tsawon shekaru biyu da ake sa ran kammalawa a shekarar 2025. Jirgin wanda aka canza daga jet na yankin ATR 72, yana riƙe da injin turbin mai na asali guda ɗaya kawai. don aminci, yayin da sauran suna da ƙarfi da tsaftataccen hydrogen.
Universal Hydrogen yana da nufin samun aikin jirgin saman yanki gaba ɗaya ta hanyar sel mai hydrogen zuwa 2025. A cikin wannan gwajin, injin da ke aiki da tantanin mai mai tsabta hydrogen yana fitar da ruwa kawai kuma baya gurɓata yanayi. Domin gwaji ne na farko, sauran injin ɗin har yanzu yana aiki akan man fetur na yau da kullun. Don haka idan ka duba, akwai bambanci sosai tsakanin injina na hagu da na dama, har ma da diamita na ruwan wukake da adadin ruwan wukake. A cewar Universal Hydrogren, jiragen da ke amfani da kwayoyin man fetur na hydrogen sun fi aminci, mai rahusa aiki kuma ba su da wani tasiri ga muhalli. Kwayoyin man fetur dinsu na hydrogen suna da nau'i-nau'i kuma ana iya loda su da sauke su ta wuraren da ake da su a filin jirgin sama, don haka filin jirgin zai iya biyan bukatun da ake bukata na jirgin sama mai amfani da hydrogen ba tare da gyara ba. A ka'idar, manyan jiragen sama za su iya yin haka, tare da turbofans da ake amfani da su ta ƙwayoyin man hydrogen da ake sa ran za a yi amfani da su nan da tsakiyar 2030s.
A gaskiya ma, Paul Eremenko, wanda ya kafa kuma Shugaba na Universal Hydrogen, ya yi imanin cewa jetliners za su yi aiki a kan hydrogen mai tsabta a tsakiyar 2030s, in ba haka ba masana'antun za su yanke jiragen sama don cimma burin da ake bukata a fadin masana'antu. Sakamakon zai zama hauhawar farashin tikiti da gwagwarmayar samun tikitin. Saboda haka, yana da gaggawa don inganta bincike da haɓaka sabbin jiragen sama masu makamashi. Amma wannan jirgin na farko kuma yana ba da bege ga masana'antar.
Alex Kroll, wani gogaggen tsohon matukin jirgin sama na Amurka ne kuma matukin gwajin gubar na kamfanin ne ya gudanar da aikin. Ya ce, a rangadin gwaji na biyu, ya samu damar tashi gaba daya a kan injinan samar da makamashin hydrogen, ba tare da dogaro da injunan man fetur na farko ba. "Jirgin da aka gyara yana da kyakkyawan aikin sarrafawa kuma tsarin makamashin man fetur na hydrogen yana haifar da ƙarancin hayaniya da girgiza fiye da injunan turbine na al'ada," in ji Kroll.
Universal Hydrogen yana da ɗimbin odar fasinja don jiragen yanki masu ƙarfin hydrogen, gami da Connect Airlines, wani kamfani na Amurka. John Thomas, babban jami'in kamfanin, ya kira jirgin Lightning McClain "ƙasa sifili don lalata masana'antar sufurin jiragen sama ta duniya."
Me yasa jirgin sama mai ƙarfin hydrogen ya zama zaɓi don rage carbon a cikin jirgin sama?
Sauyin yanayi yana jefa zirga-zirgar jiragen sama cikin haɗari shekaru da yawa masu zuwa.
Jirgin sama yana fitar da kashi ɗaya cikin shida na carbon dioxide kamar motoci da manyan motoci, a cewar Cibiyar Albarkatun Duniya, ƙungiyar bincike mai zaman kanta da ke Washington. Duk da haka, jirage suna ɗaukar fasinjoji kaɗan a kowace rana fiye da motoci da manyan motoci.
Kamfanonin jiragen sama guda hudu (Amurka, United, Delta da kuma Kudu maso Yamma) sun kara yawan man da suke amfani da shi na jet da kashi 15 cikin 100 tsakanin shekarar 2014 zuwa 2019. Duk da haka, duk da cewa an sanya jiragen sama masu inganci da karancin Carbon a samar, adadin fasinjojin ya kasance a kunne. koma baya tun 2019.
Kamfanonin jiragen sama sun kuduri aniyar zama tsaka-tsaki na carbon a tsakiyar karni, kuma wasu sun saka hannun jari don samar da mai mai dorewa don ba da damar zirga-zirgar jiragen sama ta taka rawar gani wajen sauyin yanayi.
Man fetur mai ɗorewa (SAFs) sune man fetur da aka yi daga mai dafa abinci, kitsen dabba, sharar gida ko wasu kayan abinci. Ana iya haɗa man fetur ɗin da man fetur na yau da kullun zuwa injunan jet kuma an riga an yi amfani da shi a cikin jiragen gwaji har ma a kan jiragen fasinja da aka tsara. Duk da haka, man fetur mai ɗorewa yana da tsada, kusan sau uku fiye da man jet na al'ada. Yayin da ƙarin kamfanonin jiragen sama ke saye da amfani da man fetur mai ɗorewa, farashin zai ƙara tashi. Masu ba da shawara suna matsawa don ƙarfafawa kamar karya haraji don haɓaka samarwa.
Ana ganin man fetur mai ɗorewa a matsayin man gada wanda zai iya yanke hayaƙin carbon har sai an sami ƙarin gagarumin ci gaba kamar jirgin sama mai amfani da wutar lantarki ko hydrogen. A haƙiƙa, waɗannan fasahohin ƙila ba za a yi amfani da su sosai ba a cikin jirgin sama har tsawon shekaru 20 ko 30.
Kamfanoni na kokarin kerawa da kera jiragen sama masu amfani da wutar lantarki, amma akasarinsu kananan jiragen sama ne masu kama da helikwafta wadanda suke tashi da sauka a tsaye kuma suke rike da fasinjoji kalilan.
Yin babban jirgin sama mai amfani da wutar lantarki mai iya ɗaukar fasinjoji 200 -- kwatankwacin matsakaicin matsakaicin jirgin -- zai buƙaci manyan batura da kuma tsawon lokacin tashi. Ta wannan ma'auni, batura za su buƙaci nauyin nauyin man jet sau 40 don a yi cikakken caji. Amma jirage masu amfani da wutar lantarki ba za su yuwu ba ba tare da juyin juya hali a fasahar batir ba.
Energyarfin hydrogen kayan aiki ne mai inganci don cimma ƙarancin iskar carbon kuma yana taka rawar da ba za a iya maye gurbinsa ba a canjin makamashi na duniya. Muhimmin fa'idar makamashin hydrogen akan sauran hanyoyin samar da makamashin da ake iya sabuntawa shine ana iya adana shi a babban sikeli a cikin yanayi. Daga cikin su, koren hydrogen shine kawai hanyar da za a iya zubar da ruwa mai zurfi a cikin masana'antu da yawa, ciki har da filayen masana'antu da ke wakilta ta petrochemical, karfe, masana'antun sinadarai da kuma masana'antar sufuri da jiragen sama ke wakilta. A cewar hukumar ta kasa da kasa kan makamashin hydrogen, ana sa ran kasuwar makamashin hydrogen za ta kai dala tiriliyan 2.5 nan da shekarar 2050.
"Hydrogen da kansa man fetur ne mai sauƙi," Dan Rutherford, wani mai bincike kan lalata motoci da jiragen sama a Majalisar Kasa da Kasa kan Sufuri mai Tsabta, kungiyar muhalli, ya shaida wa Kamfanin Dillancin Labarai na Associated Press. "Amma kuna buƙatar manyan tankuna don adana hydrogen, kuma tankin kanta yana da nauyi sosai."
Bugu da kari, akwai kurakurai da cikas ga aiwatar da man hydrogen. Misali, za a buƙaci sabbin ababen more rayuwa masu tsada da tsada a filayen jirgin sama don adana iskar hydrogen da aka sanyaya ta zama sifa mai ruwa.
Duk da haka, Rutherford ya ci gaba da kasancewa da kyakkyawan fata game da hydrogen. Tawagarsa ta yi imanin cewa jiragen da ke amfani da hydrogen za su iya yin tafiya kimanin mil 2,100 nan da shekarar 2035.
Lokacin aikawa: Maris 16-2023