Research project
FlyZero - Climate impact of emissions from aircrafts using alternative fuel and energy systems
- Start date: 1 May 2021
- End date: 31 December 2021
- Funder: Aerospace Technology Institute
- Value: £73,725
- Primary investigator: Dr Alex Rap
- Co-investigators: Professor Piers Forster, Professor Martyn Chipperfield, Professor Benjamin Murray, Professor Dan Marsh, Dr Wuhu Feng, Dr Ailish Graham
The project aims to develop a detailed understanding of the climate impact of emissions from aircraft concepts that use a range of fuels and energy sources for propulsion, e.g. hydrogen combustion, fuel cells (hydrogen), battery-electric. In particular, the project investigates how changes in water vapour and NOx emissions affect the effective radiative forcing of global aviation through changes in aviation induced cloudiness (contrails and contrail cirrus) and atmospheric chemistry.
Impact
The project will directly inform the FlyZero programme led by the Aerospace Technology Institute. This programme explores the various options for zero-carbon emission commercial aircrafts in order to determine the best UK strategy for securing a global lead in this area.