At Heathrow Airport, there is a need for about 20 million litres of jet fuel to keep the average 1,300 planes that take off and land there daily operational.
That would be the same as filling up your car with fuel 400,000 times.
This is a large-scale process, with fuel sent to the airport straight from refineries and then stored in two locations referred to as fuel farms.
Heathrow sees a vast amount of fuel pass through it - about half of the UK's jet fuel requirement - according to Matt Prescott, head of carbon strategy at the airport.
Heathrow Airport does not conduct any transaction involving fuel, which is handled by airlines and their suppliers.
Nevertheless, it is essential for the organization to consider the infrastructure, such as allocating an area for storage and pipes, and guaranteeing that airlines and fuel companies have what they require.
According to Mr Prescott, the focus is on developing the necessary capacity to guarantee the airport is fit for purpose.
When it comes to fuel, airports globally are obligated to consider substantial alterations.
Under the UK government's Jet Zero plan, the aviation industry has made a commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
The US aviation sector has a goal to be net zero by 2050, just like the European Union.
Ambitious goals are set and to reach them, substitutes for regular jet fuel will have to be explored.
Using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is one option available to airlines; it does not originate from fossil fuels but is often blended with traditional jet fuel.
It is easy for airports to provide SAF - they can do so through already established pipelines.
Many have expressed skepticism as to whether the cost of producing SAF in sufficient quantities to satisfy the demands of the airline sector is too high, or if such a magnitude can be achieved.
There has been a lot of enthusiasm for hydrogen, which can store copious amounts of energy and does not generate CO2 when employed as fuel.
In order for hydrogen to be useful in the aviation sector, it must be kept in liquid form by cooling it to a temperature of -253C.
It is very hard to manage a liquid at such a high temperature. Liquid hydrogen has the ability to evaporate and transform into a gas if given the opportunity – this could present a dangerous situation.
Tanks, piping, and hoses all require additional insulation to maintain the chilly temperature of the liquid.
France-based Air Liquide has been an experienced provider of cryogenic hydrogen to the European Space Agency's (ESA) Ariane rockets for approximately half a century.
The firm manufactures over one million tonnes of hydrogen annually, which is incorporated into propelling rockets as well as employed in trucks and different industrial activities.
Erwin Penforis, a senior executive at the company's global hydrogen business, states that they have a highly competent technological and industrial expertise in the area.
For the past three years, Air Liquide has been teaming up with Airbus and Group ADP (France's largest airport operator) to explore the possibilities of using hydrogen in the aviation industry.
Air Liquide was part of the H2Fly consortium that flew an aircraft using liquid hydrogen this past summer. By doing so, the company was afforded the chance to test its systems for the purpose of hydrogen fuel.
Airlines are eager to find out if hydrogen planes can be refueled similarly fast as current aircraft, as fast turnaround times are crucial to the industry.
Mr Penforis states that they possess the necessary technologies to deliver several tonnes of liquid hydrogen in a period of 15 or 20 minutes. He mentions that they are making the necessary modifications, but the answer is still yes.
Installing the hardware to store and dispense hydrogen at airports will not come at a low cost. According to Bain & Company's analysis, it may be as expensive as one billion dollars per airport.
Universal Hydrogen asserts that they have an answer to the situation. This plan entails completing all the complex steps associated with managing hydrogen away from the airport, likely to the plant where the gas is produced.
The firm has engineered exclusive tanks (UH refers to them as modules) to contain liquid hydrogen that can later be carried by truck to the airport. These modules are devised to be inserted directly into the aircraft, after which they can be linked to the propulsion apparatus.
No requirement for pipes, hoses, and pumps.
These modules are highly insulated, allowing hydrogen to remain in liquid form for four days. With two modules, an aircraft can be powered to fly 500 miles, plus a 45-minute reserve. 360kg of hydrogen can be held in two of the modules.
Universal Hydrogen is customizing a local aircraft, installing a fuel cell that can change liquid hydrogen to power and attaching it to electric motors that will power the propellers.
Bigger doors are being installed to enable the modules to be placed in the aircraft. If everything works out as expected, trial runs will begin in the coming year.
According to Mark Cousin, the CTO of Universal Hydrogen, regional flights are likely to employ hydrogen fuel, yet regular jet fuel will still be necessary for long-haul trips.
He states that it would be sensible to try and manage the fuel in a different fashion, due to the fact that the carriers would still need to keep the current fuelling system for other planes they have. operations has become increasingly reliant on software and the internet.
Business operations have grown to be heavily dependent on software and the web.
At this moment, it remains to be seen if hydrogen will become a commonly used fuel for aviation. Although aircraft powered by hydrogen have been created, they are still in their infancy.
In contrast to the existing aircraft, hydrogen planes will not be able to retain fuel in their wings, consequently reducing the capacity for travelers due to the fuel taking up space in the fuselage.
Besides, the issue of whether there will be a sufficient supply of eco-friendly, green hydrogen to meet the need must also be taken into account.
Prakash Dikshit, employed by the consultancy Landrum and Brown, has commented that it is uncertain as to which direction the aviation industry will go.
All within the aviation industry understand the need for net zero emission goals and the difficulty of achieving them. At present, the methods and finances of realizing these goals remain unclear.
There might be some trial flights of hydrogen-powered aircrafts in the next ten years, however it appears that widespread adoption of this technology won't be a reality for a while, if at all.
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