The use of liquid hydrogen (LH 2 ) in aviation has the potential to substantially reduce greenhouse-gas emissions on short- and medium-haul flights. However, if hydrogen is released into the atmosphere, it can indirectly increase global warming. This study quantifies potential hydrogen releases across the airport supply chain. The system boundary includes five supply chain components: on-site liquefaction, liquid hydrogen storage, apron distribution, aircraft refueling, and the aircraft parking time on the ground. The analysis distinguishes atmospheric releases from losses that are contained or recovered and thus not considered atmospheric leakage. This review provides not only overview of hydrogen losses but also a basis for quantifying leakage rates for airports under different scenarios. The results show that most hydrogen losses can be captured and recovered, achieving near-zero routine emissions for the majority of supply-chain components. Only a small, unavoidable fraction of hydrogen is ultimately released to the atmosphere as leakage.
Schunkert et al. (Thu,) studied this question.