Hydrogen-electric planes 'closer than expected thanks to key technologies' – Professional Engineering
Professional Engineering
Widescale hydrogen-electric flight could be closer than expected thanks to the development of two key technologies, GKN Aerospace has claimed.
Making an announcement today (19 July) on the second day of the Farnborough International Airshow, the West Midlands firm said that cryogenic cooling could be a “critical enabler for efficient, scalable, sustainable aviation”.
Hyperconducting systems proposed by the company use onboard liquid hydrogen as a heat sink, cooling the electrical conductors to temperatures less than -200°C to dramatically reduce their electrical resistivity. This reduction in resistivity facilitates electrical power distribution at low voltage, lower mass conducting cables, and electric motors that GKN claims could achieve over 99% efficiency.
“Unlike superconducting systems, which exhibit zero electrical resistance, a hyperconducting system would utilise more conventional conductor materials and is deliverable sooner, offering a greater overall impact on global emissions in the foreseeable future,” the company said.
The announcement reported on the first round of ‘system-level trade studies’ in the H2GEAR programme, which launched in 2020 scalable hydrogen electric propulsion technology for a new generation of sustainable aircraft. The studies focused on propulsion system architecture and subsystem technology for hypothetical concept aircraft that could carry 19, 48 or 96 passengers.
Developments in the fuel cell system integration – combined with the hyperconducting power network and motor drive systems – will enable hydrogen electric propulsion to be scaled up more quickly than was originally thought, the company said.
“Our initial view was that the introduction of hydrogen electric propulsion to 19 PAX (passenger) aircraft would be easier than for large aircraft,” said Max Brown, vice-president of technology for GKN Aerospace. “However, development of the hyperconducting network and cryogenic motor technology has opened our eyes to the possibility of efficiently scaling the technology to 96 PAX and potentially beyond.”
The proposed system generates electrical power from hydrogen using fuel cells. This electrical power is distributed to electric motors that drive low pressure-ratio ducted fans. This approach eliminates CO2 and NOx emissions, GKN said, and provides opportunities for contrail mitigation. It might also enable noise reduction compared to conventional propulsion systems.
Integrated ground based demonstration of the H2GEAR technologies is scheduled for 2025. The first hyperconducting hydrogen-powered aircraft could be in service by 2035, GKN said.
“This is a truly ground-breaking programme, bringing together some of the world’s top experts to develop technology that will really move the dial on global emissions. We are on track and the initial studies have been every bit as successful as we hoped,” said Brown.
H2GEAR is led from GKN Aerospace’s Global Technology Centre in Bristol. The programme is managed by GKN Aerospace in collaboration with Intelligent Energy, Aeristech, Newcastle University, the University of Manchester and University of Birmingham. The programme is supported by £27m of Aerospace Technology Institute funding, matched by GKN Aerospace and its industrial partners.
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