Imagine replacing a plane's thirsty gas engine with a mix of electric motors and hydrogen fuel, similar to how a hybrid car works but for the skies. The team is building better cooling systems for fuel cells to make them lighter and more powerful. They are also designing a blueprint for how different sized planes, from small regional hops to big jets, can stop polluting.
Aviation faces strict environmental targets but lacks a clear path to replace kerosene for different aircraft sizes. Current electric and hydrogen solutions are often too heavy or inefficient for commercial use.
A hybrid turbo-electric gearbox, a high-efficiency fuel cell cooling system, and a liquid hydrogen fuel system. They also produced preliminary designs for an 80-seat regional plane and a 150-seat jetliner.
If you are a regional aircraft manufacturer dealing with strict CO2 targets — this project developed a design for an 80-seat 1000-km range propeller aircraft using hybrid turbo-electric propulsion that reduces emissions.
If you are a fuel cell supplier dealing with overheating and heavy equipment — this project developed novel phase cooling that can increase net power by up to 20% and improve power-to-weight ratios by up to 80%.
If you are a jetliner operator dealing with the transition to carbon-free flight — this project developed a design for a 150-seat 2000-km range jet liner using liquid hydrogen fuel and cryogenic tanks.
Based on available project data, specific unit costs for the propulsion systems or aircraft designs are not provided.
The project focuses on TRL3 demonstrations, meaning it is currently at the proof-of-concept stage on test benches and not yet at industrial scale.
Based on available project data, the project involves the development of specific gearboxes and cooling systems, but licensing terms are not detailed.
The project provides preliminary designs for 80-seat and 150-seat aircraft, focusing on the integration of cryogenic tanks and hybrid propulsion systems.
The project runs from 2023 to 2026, culminating in a road map that defines the maturation time for each technology class.
The consortium is heavily industry-weighted with a 55% industry ratio, comprising 6 industrial partners and 2 SMEs across 6 countries. This suggests a strong focus on practical application and manufacturing feasibility, supported by 4 universities and 1 research center to handle the TRL3 technical validations.
Contact PEDECE in Portugal for technical specifications on the hybrid gearbox.
Contact us to explore licensing for the 80% power-to-weight ratio fuel cell components.
