UK hydrogen consortium targets zero-emission flight
A group of UK aerospace and academic leaders have joined together to establish HyFIVE, a consortium that will develop a hydrogen fuel system and supply chain supporting zero-emission aviation in…
A group of UK aerospace and academic leaders have joined together to establish HyFIVE, a consortium that will develop a hydrogen fuel system and supply chain supporting zero-emission aviation in the 2030s.
HyFIVE combines the expertise of industry partners Marshall, GKN Aerospace and Parker Meggitt, while specialised R&D will be conducted by the University of Manchester, the University of Bath and Cardiff University.
Announced this week by Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, the consortium will receive initial funding of nearly £40 million, with an investment of £17 million from industry to be matched with £20 million from government. The project is supported by the ATI Programme, a partnership between Department for Business and Trade, Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK (UKRI).
The overarching objective of the HyFIVE consortium is to develop, test and validate a modular, scalable cryogenic hydrogen fuel system architecture that is suitable for multiple aircraft classes and compatible with either hydrogen electric propulsion or hydrogen combustion powertrains.
Specifically, the collaboration will cover five key aspects of technology development for hydrogen fuel systems: storage, conveyance, indication, fuelling and venting.
By 2027 the consortium plans to have: developed and validated an integrated family of mature fuel system technologies and capabilities conducive to certification; conducted ground demonstration (TRL 6) of an integrated fuel system encompassing the storage, conveyance, indication, venting and fuelling systems; opened a range of flight demonstration and exploitation paths with prospective customers; and developed a customer-ready supply chain and industrialisation strategy.
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