Comments on: The air transport market requires both high specific power and high energy density https://www.isegoria.net/2020/06/the-air-transport-market-requires-both-high-specific-power-and-high-energy-density/ From the ancient Greek for equality in freedom of speech; an eclectic mix of thoughts, large and small Thu, 14 May 2026 06:12:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 By: TRX https://www.isegoria.net/2020/06/the-air-transport-market-requires-both-high-specific-power-and-high-energy-density/comment-page-1/#comment-3204351 TRX Mon, 15 Jun 2020 12:23:03 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=46725#comment-3204351 I’ve been reading about innovative fuel cell technologies since the early 1970s. Also batteries of miraculous storage capacity.

Almost 50 years now, and for some reason they’re all still two or three years from going to market…

Why pine for batteries? Just wait for cold fusion!

]]> By: Gavin Longmuir https://www.isegoria.net/2020/06/the-air-transport-market-requires-both-high-specific-power-and-high-energy-density/comment-page-1/#comment-3199796 Gavin Longmuir Mon, 08 Jun 2020 03:48:17 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=46725#comment-3199796 As a thought experiment, let’s assume that these fuel cells as described really perform, and even get better. Let’s assume that fuel cell planes start to capture a big part of the aircraft market. Then what?

Where will the hydrogen fuel come from?

Since the closest natural source of hydrogen is the Sun — and there are certain problems with collecting hydrogen there — the hydrogen will have to be manufactured here on Earth, which will take energy. The optimists say that energy will come from so-called “renewables” — but wind & solar plants take a lot of energy to build, probably more than they produce over their relatively short life.

So we will be back to either continued use of fossil fuels to create the hydrogen, or vastly expanded nuclear power generation.

If we consider the total system, it is highly likely that continued use of refined oil for aircraft fuel will be the most economic & practical choice for the foreseeable future.

]]> By: Wang Wei Lin https://www.isegoria.net/2020/06/the-air-transport-market-requires-both-high-specific-power-and-high-energy-density/comment-page-1/#comment-3199704 Wang Wei Lin Mon, 08 Jun 2020 00:11:55 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=46725#comment-3199704 Anything is possible in labs and corporate offices. It will never scale up in the real world. Dense portable carbon based fuels will always win in the long run.

]]> By: Bob Sykes https://www.isegoria.net/2020/06/the-air-transport-market-requires-both-high-specific-power-and-high-energy-density/comment-page-1/#comment-3199648 Bob Sykes Sun, 07 Jun 2020 21:50:48 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=46725#comment-3199648 The entire article is asinine. Watts per kg!!!??? For how long? A nanosecond? This is a scam.

There are countless scams being run in the energy production business. Renewables, solar, new mysterious electric batteries, and now this.

The electrochemical series was determined a century ago. Every possible reaction and its energy can be calculated on paper. Tere are engineering details to be worked out for each reaction, but the reality is that batteries and hydrogen fuel cells have not much improved since the days of Volta and Galvani.

Everyone avoids the comparison with kerosene, jet fuel. Tell me when you can beat 46 MJ/kg (20,000 Btu/lbm).

]]> By: Crosbie https://www.isegoria.net/2020/06/the-air-transport-market-requires-both-high-specific-power-and-high-energy-density/comment-page-1/#comment-3199642 Crosbie Sun, 07 Jun 2020 21:42:53 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=46725#comment-3199642 Not explained in the article is why we would use fuel cells producing 2,000 W/kg when the current gas turbine solution can produce over 8,000 W/kg.

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