RCAIDE.Library.Attributes.Propellants.Liquid_Hydrogen

Liquid_Hydrogen#

class Liquid_Hydrogen(*args, **kwarg)[source]#

Bases: Propellant

A class representing liquid hydrogen (LH2) fuel properties for aviation applications.

tag#

Identifier for the propellant (‘Liquid_H2’)

Type:

str

reactant#

Oxidizer used for combustion (‘O2’)

Type:

str

density#

Fuel density in kg/m³ (59.9)

Type:

float

specific_energy#

Specific energy content in J/kg (141.86e6)

Type:

float

energy_density#

Energy density in J/m³ (8491.0e6)

Type:

float

stoichiometric_fuel_to_air#

Stoichiometric fuel-to-air ratio (0.0291)

Type:

float

temperatures#
Critical temperatures
  • autoignitionfloat

    Autoignition temperature in K (845.15)

Type:

Data

Notes

Liquid hydrogen represents a zero-carbon aviation fuel option with the highest specific energy of any fuel, but requires cryogenic storage at extremely low temperatures (-253°C).

Definitions

‘Specific Energy’

Energy content per unit mass, approximately 3 times higher than kerosene

‘Energy Density’

Energy content per unit volume, lower than conventional fuels due to low density

‘Stoichiometric Fuel-to-Air Ratio’

Ideal fuel-to-air mass ratio for complete combustion to H2O

Major Assumptions

  • Properties are for liquid hydrogen

  • No consideration of boil-off losses

References

[1] Roberts, K. (2008). ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF A HYPERSONIC SCRAMJET ENGINE WITH A STARTING MACH NUMBER OF 4.00 (thesis). UTA. University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved December 30, 2024, from https://arc.uta.edu/publications/td_files/Kristen%20Roberts%20MS.pdf.