Liquid hydrogen fuel partnership forms with Filton, Fabrum and GKN Aerospace

Liquid hydrogen fuel partnership forms with Filton, Fabrum and GKN Aerospace

August 31, 2022 0 By Angie Bergenson

The companies are working together to achieve end-to-end H2 system technology flight.

Fabrum, a New Zealand-headquartered global zero-emission transition leader, has teamed up with Filton Systems Engineering (FSE), a British engineering consultancy, and GKN Aerospace in a move toward the use of liquid hydrogen fuel for zero-emission flight technology.

The collaboration leverages the strengths and resources of all three participants.

GKN Aerospace serves over 90 percent of global aircraft and engine manufacturers. FSE boasts considerable aerospace capability in fuel systems and in the design of air, fuel, hydraulic, engine and inerting systems. Fabrum’s strengths are in its fuel tank and cryogenic storage technology as well as in its H2 systems.

The announcement of the liquid hydrogen fuel collaboration has arrived as FSE has upgraded their hot and cold fuel test facility so that it has the capacity to offer a both liquified and gaseous H2 in a unique commercial test environment located in Bristol. This has become a worldwide focus for H2 flight activity.

The testing facilities make it possible for companies in the aerospace industry to test H2 as a source of fuel for test flights, with FSE offering additional support along the road to flight status certification.

Liquid hydrogen fuel - Airplane - H2

Fabrum developed the ground-based product solution with end-to-end liquid hydrogen fuel.

The solution was developed for the test facility, including H2 conditioning, liquefaction and storage. Additional upgrades are planned, including the combination of the cryogenic technologies from Fabrum with a membrane-free electrolyzer for the elimination of dependence on a gaseous H2 supply.

There is a ground-based 2.4 k liquified H2 system demonstrator test facility that has been jointly designed with GKN Aerospace and constructed by FSE under the Safe Flight project funded by Innovate UK.

liquid hydrogen fuel safety

The goal of the end-to-end system is the demonstration of liquid hydrogen fuel feasibility as a source of aircraft fuel. It is meant to address a number of the safety concerns that have arisen as a result of the fuel just moving out of its infancy. The project has already developed dispensing and storage technologies, as well as optimized purging systems, and integrated tank design with on aircraft distribution by way of a fuel cell supply with gaseous H2 at the necessary pressure and temperature level across a spectrum of electrical loads that represent a conventional flight.

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