(Geesthacht/Hamburg) – “Green Operation for Future Aviation” – under this claim, scientists from the Helmholtz Center Geesthacht – Center for Materials and Coastal Research (HZG) and the Hamburg University of Technology want to work with Airbus to develop nothing less than “an overall concept for the aviation of the future”. The aim is to supply the Airbus area in Hamburg-Finkenwerder with hydrogen cost-effectively and efficiently.
“ZEROe” for commercial aircraft
The French aerospace group wants to put the first commercial hydrogen-powered airliner into service by 2035. CEO Guillaume Faury announced this in September last year and presented some ideas for short, medium and long-haul routes as “ZEROe” (we reported). For the market launch, however, “the possibility of refueling must be tested early on and implementation on the factory premises must be established”.
The researchers want to look into how the supply of hydrogen can be realized efficiently and economically. In addition, it is being investigated how new products and applications can be supplied with hydrogen in the factory, explains Thomas Klassen, coordinator of the project and head of the HZG Institute for Hydrogen Technology. Airbus provides the scientists with all the data they need.
The team will first carry out a location analysis and investigate in which applications hydrogen can be used advantageously beyond aircraft refueling. It will also be analyzed how the demand for hydrogen will develop in the coming years. The options for supplying hydrogen will then be examined. The company's own local production, the purchase from regional hydrogen sources, the national supply and the import of hydrogen, for example from southern Europe, Tunisia and Australia, are taken into account. In addition, different storage options are considered.
Concept for Finkenwerder
The results will be used to derive a long-term overall concept for the development and expansion of hydrogen supply and use in Finkenwerder, which can serve as a basis for investment decisions at the location. “The developed concept can then be used as a starting point for the development of airport supply infrastructures or for companies that manufacture vehicles and ships,” says Thomas Klassen.
“It will have to be clarified in which areas exactly hydrogen can be used most sensibly - be it in production, in refueling in the form of liquid hydrogen to operate the cabin electronics or engines or to supply the factory halls,” says the Hamburg Senator for Economic Affairs and Energy Innovation, Michael Westhagemann. At the end of the project, he hopes, we will be “one step closer” to the goal of zero-emission aviation. The city of Hamburg is funding the project, which runs until September 2022, with almost 1,4 million euros.
deep link
https://hzg.de/public_relations_media/news/098447/index.php.de
Photo above
In the “Green Operation of Future Aviation” project, the HZG, the TU Hamburg and Airbus are creating a concept for the cost-effective and efficient supply of the Hamburg-Finkenwerder production site with hydrogen. / © Airbus
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In September, Airbus presented three concepts for hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft. / © Airbus
