The world’s largest trial of a liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft powertrain has been carried out by Universal Hydrogen at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.
Enough for a regional flight
Launched in 2020, Universal Hydrogen was founded by a group of experienced aviation engineers and leaders. Their latest ground test, carried out in February 2024, marks the first time the firm has connected one of its proprietary hydrogen modules developed in Toulouse, France, to the “Iron Bird”, a megawatt-class fuel cell powertrain analog.
The test rig ran for “over 1 hour and 40 minutes, simulating a regional aircraft flight profile”, the company said in a press release, highlighting that the “end-to-end demonstration of a hydrogen molecule moving from our filler/dispenser into our storage module and then into our powertrain is the first time that all the pieces of our product portfolio for regional aviation have come together”.
At 225kg, each module’s fuel capacity is able to power the Iron Bird for more than three hours at full throttle, and two modules can offer a potential 460 nautical mile range (740 km) for a regional plane. They are a promising alternative to electric flights powered by batteries, whose viability has been called into question due to weight and low energy density.
Although the modules resemble simple containers for liquid hydrogen on the outside, on the inside more complex processes take place, converting the hydrogen to gas when the powertrain demands. Systems for boiloff prevention, leak detection, safety vents and quick connection and release have also been developed. “The next step is to upgrade our flight testbed to fly the powertrain fueled by our modules,” said Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen.
Towards decarbonisation
The company is aiming for readiness for passenger service by 2026. It already flew a 40-seater plane with hydrogen last year. That flight – in a converted Dash-8 plane, dubbed Lightning McClean – lasted for 15 minutes and reached an altitude of 3,500 feet (1,067 metres). It had to lose 16 of its 56 seats to fly green, a reduction in capacity aviation will have to grapple with.
Universal Hydrogen has also been working to prove other uses for its hydrogen fuel services, including a recent demonstration of a hydrogen-powered charger for electric ground support equipment at airports. Developed with Oshkosh AeroTech, the “AmpCart H2” is set to help with airports’ decarbonisation efforts, requiring no purpose-built fueling infrastructure.
