Mai gwajin ƙwayoyin hydrogen na Universal Hydrogen ya yi tafiyarsa ta farko zuwa Moss Lake, Washington, a makon da ya gabata. Jirgin gwajin ya ɗauki mintuna 15 kuma ya kai tsayin ƙafa 3,500. Tsarin gwajin ya dogara ne akan Dash8-300, babban jirgin sama na hydrogen mai mafi girma a duniya.
Jirgin, wanda aka yi wa lakabi da Lightning McClean, ya tashi daga filin jirgin saman Grant County International Airport (KMWH) da ƙarfe 8:45 na safe a ranar 2 ga Maris kuma ya kai tsayin ƙafa 3,500 mintuna 15 bayan haka. Jirgin, wanda aka yi bisa ga takardar shaidar FAA Special Airworthiness, shi ne na farko a cikin gwajin jirgin sama na shekaru biyu da ake sa ran zai ƙare a shekarar 2025. Jirgin, wanda aka canza shi daga jirgin sama na yanki mai lamba ATR 72, yana riƙe da injin turbine mai guda ɗaya kawai don aminci, yayin da sauran kuma ana amfani da iskar hydrogen mai tsafta.
Kamfanin Universal Hydrogen yana da niyyar samar da ayyukan tashi daga yankuna gaba ɗaya ta hanyar ƙwayoyin mai na hydrogen nan da shekarar 2025. A cikin wannan gwajin, injin da ke amfani da sinadarin hydrogen mai tsabta yana fitar da ruwa kawai kuma baya gurɓata yanayi. Saboda gwajin farko ne, ɗayan injin ɗin har yanzu yana aiki akan man fetur na yau da kullun. Don haka idan ka duba, akwai babban bambanci tsakanin injinan hagu da dama, har ma da diamita na ruwan wukake da adadin ruwan wukake. A cewar Universal Hydrogren, jiragen sama da ke amfani da ƙwayoyin mai na hydrogen sun fi aminci, sun fi araha don aiki kuma ba su da tasiri sosai ga muhalli. Kwayoyin mai na hydrogen ɗinsu suna da tsari kuma ana iya ɗora su da sauke su ta hanyar kayan da ke cikin filin jirgin, don haka filin jirgin zai iya biyan buƙatun sake cika jiragen sama masu amfani da hydrogen ba tare da gyara ba. A ka'ida, manyan jiragen sama na iya yin hakan, tare da turbofans da ke amfani da ƙwayoyin mai na hydrogen da ake sa ran za su yi amfani da su a tsakiyar shekarun 2030.
A gaskiya ma, Paul Eremenko, wanda ya kafa kuma babban jami'in gudanarwa na Universal Hydrogen, ya yi imanin cewa jiragen sama za su yi aiki da iskar hydrogen mai tsabta nan da tsakiyar shekarun 2030, in ba haka ba masana'antar za ta rage jiragen sama don cimma burin fitar da hayaki mai gurbata muhalli a duk fadin masana'antu. Sakamakon zai zama hauhawar farashin tikiti mai tsanani da kuma wahalar samun tikitin shiga. Saboda haka, yana da matukar muhimmanci a inganta bincike da haɓaka sabbin jiragen sama masu amfani da makamashi. Amma wannan jirgin farko kuma yana ba da wasu bege ga masana'antar.
Alex Kroll, tsohon matukin jirgin sama na rundunar sojin saman Amurka kuma babban matukin jirgin sama na kamfanin ne ya gudanar da aikin. Ya ce a zagayen gwaji na biyu, ya sami damar tashi gaba ɗaya akan injinan samar da sinadarin hydrogen, ba tare da dogaro da injinan man fetur na asali ba. "Jirgin da aka gyara yana da kyakkyawan aikin sarrafawa kuma tsarin samar da makamashin hydrogen yana samar da ƙarancin hayaniya da girgiza fiye da injinan turbine na gargajiya," in ji Kroll.
Kamfanin Universal Hydrogen yana da odar fasinjoji da dama don jiragen ruwa na yanki masu amfani da hydrogen, ciki har da Connect Airlines, wani kamfanin Amurka. John Thomas, babban jami'in kamfanin, ya kira jirgin Lightning McClain "sifili na ƙasa don rage gurɓatar masana'antar jiragen sama ta duniya."
Me yasa jiragen sama masu amfani da hydrogen zaɓi ne don rage gurɓatar iskar carbon a fannin sufurin jiragen sama?
Sauyin yanayi yana sanya jigilar jiragen sama cikin haɗari tsawon shekaru masu zuwa.
A cewar Cibiyar Albarkatun Duniya, wata ƙungiyar bincike mai zaman kanta da ke Washington, jiragen sama na fitar da iskar carbon dioxide kashi ɗaya cikin shida kawai na yawan carbon dioxide da ake fitarwa a kowace rana. Duk da haka, jiragen sama suna ɗaukar fasinjoji ƙasa da na motoci da manyan motoci a kowace rana.
Manyan kamfanonin jiragen sama guda huɗu (Amurka, United, Delta da Kudu maso Yamma) sun ƙara yawan amfani da man jiragensu da kashi 15 cikin ɗari tsakanin 2014 da 2019. Duk da haka, duk da cewa an samar da jiragen sama masu inganci da ƙarancin sinadarin carbon, adadin fasinjoji ya ragu tun daga 2019.
Kamfanonin jiragen sama sun kuduri aniyar zama masu tsaka-tsakin rage hayakin carbon nan da tsakiyar karni, kuma wasu sun zuba jari a fannin mai mai dorewa domin bai wa harkokin jiragen sama damar taka rawa sosai a sauyin yanayi.
Man fetur mai dorewa (SAFs) man fetur ne da aka yi daga man girki, kitsen dabbobi, sharar gari ko wasu kayan abinci. Ana iya haɗa man fetur ɗin da man fetur na gargajiya zuwa injinan jiragen sama masu amfani da wutar lantarki kuma an riga an yi amfani da shi a cikin jiragen gwaji har ma a kan jiragen fasinja da aka tsara. Duk da haka, man fetur mai dorewa yana da tsada, kusan sau uku fiye da man fetur na yau da kullun. Yayin da kamfanonin jiragen sama da yawa ke siyan da amfani da man fetur mai dorewa, farashin zai ƙara hauhawa. Masu fafutuka suna matsa lamba don samun ƙarfafawa kamar rage haraji don haɓaka samarwa.
Ana ɗaukar man fetur mai ɗorewa a matsayin wani bututun mai da zai iya rage hayakin carbon har sai an cimma manyan nasarori kamar jiragen sama masu amfani da wutar lantarki ko hydrogen. A gaskiya ma, waɗannan fasahohin ba za a iya amfani da su sosai a fannin sufurin jiragen sama ba na tsawon shekaru 20 ko 30.
Kamfanoni suna ƙoƙarin tsara da kuma ƙera jiragen sama masu amfani da wutar lantarki, amma yawancinsu ƙananan jiragen sama ne masu kama da helikwafta waɗanda ke tashi da sauka a tsaye kuma suna ɗaukar fasinjoji kaɗan kawai.
Yin babban jirgin sama mai amfani da wutar lantarki wanda zai iya ɗaukar fasinjoji 200 -- daidai da matsakaicin jirgin sama -- zai buƙaci manyan batura da tsawon lokacin tashi. A wannan ma'aunin, batura za su buƙaci nauyin kusan sau 40 fiye da man jirgin sama don a cika caji. Amma jiragen sama masu amfani da wutar lantarki ba za su yiwu ba tare da juyin juya hali a fasahar batura ba.
Makamashin hydrogen kayan aiki ne mai tasiri don cimma ƙarancin hayakin carbon kuma yana taka rawa sosai a sauyin makamashi na duniya. Babban fa'idar makamashin hydrogen akan sauran hanyoyin samar da makamashi mai sabuntawa shine cewa ana iya adana shi a babban sikelin a tsawon yanayi. Daga cikinsu, hydrogen kore shine kawai hanyar rage gurɓatar carbon a cikin masana'antu da yawa, gami da fannonin masana'antu da ke wakiltar petrochemical, ƙarfe, masana'antar sinadarai da masana'antar sufuri da jiragen sama ke wakilta. A cewar Hukumar Makamashin Hydrogen ta Duniya, ana sa ran kasuwar makamashin hydrogen za ta kai dala tiriliyan 2.5 nan da shekarar 2050.
"Hydrogen kanta mai sauƙi ne," Dan Rutherford, wani mai bincike kan rage amfani da iskar gas a cikin motoci da jiragen sama a Majalisar Duniya kan Sufuri Mai Tsabta, wata ƙungiyar muhalli, ya shaida wa kamfanin dillacin labarai na Associated Press. "Amma kuna buƙatar manyan tankuna don adana hydrogen, kuma tankin kanta yana da nauyi sosai."
Bugu da ƙari, akwai matsaloli da cikas ga aiwatar da man fetur na hydrogen. Misali, za a buƙaci manyan kayayyaki masu tsada a filayen jirgin sama don adana iskar hydrogen da aka sanyaya zuwa ruwa.
Duk da haka, Rutherford yana da kyakkyawan fata game da hydrogen. Ƙungiyarsa ta yi imanin cewa jiragen sama masu amfani da hydrogen za su iya yin tafiya kimanin mil 2,100 nan da shekarar 2035.
Lokacin Saƙo: Maris-16-2023