Composite ultra-lightweight liquid hydrogen fuel tanks for aircraft applications

Composite ultra-lightweight liquid hydrogen fuel tanks for aircraft applications

HyPoint, a California-based hydrogen fuel cell startup, has partnered with aviation engineering research and development organization Grolier Taylor Laboratories (GTL) to combine its high-power density fuel cells with the latter's lightweight liquid hydrogen tanks to enable aircraft to carry more hydrogen for increased range. while HyPoint is responsible for developing turbine air-cooled hydrogen fuel cells, GTL is developing composite cryogenic tanks that can store more liquid hydrogen at a lighter tank weight to store more liquid hydrogen.

The newly developed commuter aircraft has a 20% weight index for liquid hydrogen tanks, while short-haul aircraft need a 35% weight index and long-haul aircraft need a 38% weight index.

At 2.4 meters long and 1.2 meters in diameter, it is capable of holding more than 150 kg of liquid hydrogen. The cryogenic tank weighs 67 kg and includes a composite tank, skirt and vacuum insulated bottle shell, which has a weight index value of nearly 70%. HyPoint says that after repeated cryogenic-hot press cycles, the tank is still well sealed and at a level of technical maturity of 6. Equipped with GTL's lightweight tank technology, it has three times the range of conventional aviation fuel.