First ZEROe engine fuel cell successfully powers on
Airbus has announced that its ZEROe teams have powered on the iron pod, a future hydrogen-propulsion system designed for its electric concept aircraft.
As well as the hydrogen fuel cell…
Airbus has announced that its ZEROe teams have powered on the iron pod, a future hydrogen-propulsion system designed for its electric concept aircraft.
As well as the hydrogen fuel cell system, the iron pod contains the electric motors needed to spin a propeller and the units that control and keep them cool.
Its successful power on at 1.2 megawatts late last year is a pivotal step on Airbus’ ZEROe roadmap to put a hydrogen-propulsion aircraft into service by 2035.
In 2020, Airbus shared four hydrogen-powered aircraft concepts with the public. Three used hydrogen combustion and hybrid engines for power, and the fourth was fully electric, using hydrogen fuel cells and a propeller propulsion system.
These fuel cells work by transforming the hydrogen into electricity through a chemical reaction. The by-product of the reaction is simple H2O, resulting in almost zero emissions.
The latest test of the iron pad took place at the end of 2023, after Airbus successfully completed testing of the fuel cell system at 1.2 megawatts in June and the powertrain at 1 megawatt in October.
“It was a huge moment for us because the architecture and design principles of the system are the same as those that we will see in the final design,” said Mathias Andriamisaina, head of testing and demonstration on the ZEROe project.
“The complete power channel was run at 1.2 megawatts, the power we aim to test on our A380 demonstrator.”
“This process is how we learn what changes need to be made to make the technology flight-worthy,” said Hauke Peer-Luedders, head of fuel cell propulsion system for ZEROe. “We measure how the propulsion system as a whole works by testing the power needed for several different flight phases, such as takeoff, where we are reaching maximum power levels, and cruising, when we use less power but over a longer period of time.”
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