Rating Hydrogen as a Potential Aviation Fuel

A comparison is made of liquid hydrogen, liquid methane, and synthetic aviation kerosene as potential future transport aircraft fuels. An assessment is made of each fuel from the standpoint of cost and energy resource utilization, including the areas of fuel production, transmission, airport, facilities, and ultimate use in the aircraft. Safety and environmental aspects are also addressed. Barring significant breakthroughs in the production of liquid hydrogen and methane, synthetic aviation kerosene produced from oil shale or coal appears to be the logical choice from the standpoint of cost and minimal disruption to the current air transportation system.