H2FLY and project partner Air Liquide have successfully tested an aircraft-integrated liquid hydrogen storage system during on-ground coupling tests, with its HY4 aircraft, completed in preparation for H2FLY’s upcoming flight test campaign.
This achievement is part of the European project HEAVEN, a consortium of six companies demonstrating the feasibility of using liquid cryogenic hydrogen in aircraft, led by H2FLY.
The new liquid hydrogen storage system, which is designed and supplied by Air Liquide based on H2FLY’s requirements, has been successfully coupled with the fuel cell system on ground.
This partnership represents the final technological building block in the development of a complete hydrogen-electric powertrain using liquid hydrogen to power the HY4, H2FLY’s four-seater demonstrator aircraft which runs on hydrogen and fuel cells.
The company led the test campaign on Air Liquide’s Campus Technologies Grenoble to mark an upcoming ground and flight test campaign this summer, when the HY4 is expected to be the first passenger aircraft to fly with liquid hydrogen and fuel cells.
H2FLY is the first company to successfully perform on-ground coupling tests with an aircraft-integrated liquid hydrogen tank and fuel cell system, providing pioneering technological advancements for European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) CS-23 and CS-25 aircraft regulations for certification.
Professor Josef Kallo, co-founder and CEO of H2FLY said: “With the successful passing of the on-ground coupling tests, we have learnt that it will be possible to scale up our technology for a 40-seater aircraft.”
This follows the company’s announcement last month that it passed its first filling tests with the integrated liquid hydrogen tank. Key milestones include:
1) In 2020 H2FLY was granted a permit to fly the HY4 aircraft, which featured a fully redundant powertrain architecture.
2) In 2021 the company signed a partnership with aircraft manufacturer Deutsche Aircraft to fly a CS25 class aircraft powered by H2FLY’s hydrogen fuel cell technology, expected to fly in 2025.
3) Earlier last year, the company completed a cross-country flight in Germany from Stuttgart to Friedrichshafen, covering 77 miles.
4) Also last year, the company set what is believed to be a world altitude record for a hydrogen aircraft, flying at 7,230 feet.