Page 25 - EngineerIt July 2021

RESEARCH

Hydrogen in aviation: research

project starts in Hamburg

Pioneering project tests maintenance and ground processes of future aircraft

generations. A320 to be equipped with hydrogen infrastructure.

he aerospace industry is preparing converted into a stationary laboratory at Lufthansa Technik’s base in Hamburg.
for flying with hydrogen. In Liquid hydrogen (LH2) is increasingly being more concretely envisaged in the
THamburg, the world’s third-largest development departments of large aircraft manufacturers as a sustainably producible fuel
aviation centre, a new development for future generations of commercial aircraft. To investigate the effects of the use of LH2
platform is being launched to test on maintenance and ground processes at an early stage, Lufthansa Technik, DLR, ZAL
the new technology from as early as and Hamburg Airport are now pooling their extensive practical and scientific expertise. The
2022. Funded by the Hanseatic City aim is to jointly develop a pioneering demonstrator, and to operate it from 2022.
of Hamburg, Lufthansa Technik will As the world’s third largest aviation location, Hamburg is funding the research project
work with the German Aerospace with the largest single item in its special programme to mitigate the economic impact of the
Centre (DLR), the Centre for Applied coronavirus pandemic on the aviation industry.
Aeronautical Research (ZAL) and “Hamburg is not just one of the three largest aviation clusters in the world; last year the
Hamburg Airport over the next two years, city also developed the clear vision of becoming a major hydrogen metropolis,” explained
to design and test extensive maintenance Michael Westhagemann, senator for economics and innovation of Hamburg. “I therefore
and ground processes in handling see it as both a logical and gratifying step to combine these two core competences of
hydrogen technology. For this purpose, an Hamburg. The port, the energy sector, industry and the entire mobility sector are involved
aircraft of the Airbus A320 family will be and are preparing for this ground-breaking technology. With this project, we are now also

This graphic depicts examples of potential fields of application for liquid hydrogen in and on future aircraft (blue arrows) as well as at the
airport (ground vehicles) and its periphery (refueling systems). The blue arrows outline potential fields of application in the aircraft: for
example, satellite communications as well as galleys, cabin or IFE systems could be powered by electricity from a fuel cell in the future.
The project partners will determine in the coming months which fields of application will actually be investigated in more detail in the
practical evaluation. (Image Source: Hamburg Marketing)

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