What can be done to cut carbon emissions from aircraft contrails?

[renewablejohn]

Easy solution just dont fly so high. When the new breed of airships start flying then problem solved.

[Stinsy]

Easy solution just dont fly so high. When the new breed of airships start flying then problem solved.

I believe that I’ve read about “new airship” projects that are a few years away every year since I’ve been old enough to read!

[Oliver90owner]

Burn less fuel? Use Hydrogen as fuel? Contrails have very little to do with carbon dioxide.

[Paul_F]

Easy solution just dont fly so high. When the new breed of airships start flying then problem solved.

Really won't help - drag (due to the massively larger wetted area) and hence fuel burn are significantly higher than a heavier than air type.

[AE-NMidlands]

Use Hydrogen as fuel? Contrails have very little to do with carbon dioxide.

Wouldn't that make it worse? No CO₂ but all the calories/megawatts are coming from H₂+ 2 O₂=2 H₂O

[Countrypaul]

Use Hydrogen as fuel? Contrails have very little to do with carbon dioxide.

Wouldn't that make it worse? No CO₂ but all the calories/megawatts are coming from H₂+ 2 O₂=2 H₂O

Your chemistry needs work ! 2 H₂+ O₂=2 H₂O

[renewablejohn]

Easy solution just dont fly so high. When the new breed of airships start flying then problem solved.

Really won't help - drag (due to the massively larger wetted area) and hence fuel burn are significantly higher than a heavier than air type.

Of course it will help your not pumping contrails into the atmosphere at high altitudes powered by electric so no in flight pollution.

[renewablejohn]

Easy solution just dont fly so high. When the new breed of airships start flying then problem solved.

I believe that I’ve read about “new airship” projects that are a few years away every year since I’ve been old enough to read!

A lot nearer than that with a Spanish airline already ordered a fleet of 10

[Paul_F]

Of course it will help your not pumping contrails into the atmosphere at high altitudes powered by electric so no in flight pollution.

Graf Zeppelin: Cruised at 73mph from 1.6 MW power output, payload 15 tonnes. Assuming you achieve 250 Wh/kg at pack level (and ignoring the weight of motors, feeders, etc.) that gives you a range of 170 miles. That's about twice the range of a Velis Electro: sprinkling some magic fairy dust on there might improve things a bit, but there's a reason all the airships out there are hybrids at best.
Airships are the wrong solution to this problem (indeed, just about any problem!) - anything they can do can be done better by a turboprop flying at medium altitude using more or less existing technology.

A lot nearer than that with a Spanish airline already ordered a fleet of 10

Umm... yeah, about that. What they're ordering has 1MW of diesel engines (installed power) to cruise at 92 mph, and they're making very brave assumptions about batteries for their future "decarbonised" version. Fuel burn on the engine is ~65 kg/hr x 4 engines (assuming cruise power is 400 hp), so ~2.8 kg/mile for 100 PAX. That works out at about 95 g CO₂/passenger mile - about the same as an A320 NEO.

[renewablejohn]

Of course it will help your not pumping contrails into the atmosphere at high altitudes powered by electric so no in flight pollution.

Graf Zeppelin: Cruised at 73mph from 1.6 MW power output, payload 15 tonnes. Assuming you achieve 250 Wh/kg at pack level (and ignoring the weight of motors, feeders, etc.) that gives you a range of 170 miles. That's about twice the range of a Velis Electro: sprinkling some magic fairy dust on there might improve things a bit, but there's a reason all the airships out there are hybrids at best.
Airships are the wrong solution to this problem (indeed, just about any problem!) - anything they can do can be done better by a turboprop flying at medium altitude using more or less existing technology.

A lot nearer than that with a Spanish airline already ordered a fleet of 10

Umm... yeah, about that. What they're ordering has 1MW of diesel engines (installed power) to cruise at 92 mph, and they're making very brave assumptions about batteries for their future "decarbonised" version. Fuel burn on the engine is ~65 kg/hr x 4 engines (assuming cruise power is 400 hp), so ~2.8 kg/mile for 100 PAX. That works out at about 95 g CO₂/passenger mile - about the same as an A320 NEO.

Although the Graf Zeppelin was a very inefficient design built to the size of the available hanger rather than any aero dynamic capability it did have a very clever aspect of using Blau gas which having a similar density to air meant that as it was burnt the bouyancy of the airship was not compromised. Unfortunately the Graf was stuck with inefficient ICE engines whereas now that Blau Gas can be converted efficiently by fuel cells directly into electric to drive the electric propulsion.
Not saying what the Spanish airline has ordered is the best option but at least a step in the right direction and as stated above very easy to make far better using technology already available.