Descrizione del progetto
Nessun limite per la riduzione del peso dei serbatoi degli aeromobili
Il futuro dell’aviazione verso le emissioni zero dipende da combustibili alternativi come l’idrogeno, che richiede uno stoccaggio a bordo sicuro ed efficiente: una delle sfide ingegneristiche più complesse del settore aerospaziale. Il progetto COCOLIH2T, finanziato dall’UE, offrirà una soluzione dirompente per ridurre il peso e l'impatto volumetrico dei serbatoi a bordo degli aerei, senza compromettere la sicurezza del sistema. Il progetto intende sviluppare un serbatoio di idrogeno liquido (LH2) sicuro, composito e isolato sotto vuoto per il settore dell’aviazione, utilizzando tecnologie di fabbricazione innovative per progettare e fabbricare dei serbatoi conformi. La struttura del serbatoio LH2 si baserà su un concetto di composito termoplastico multimateriale in grado di ridurre il consumo energetico e i costi di produzione. Il progetto potrebbe accelerare lo sviluppo di un’industria aeronautica sostenibile.
Obiettivo
Alternative fuels such as hydrogen (H2) are seen as playing a central role in a zero-emission future for aviation, but the level of penetration for H2 will depend heavily on scientific and technological breakthroughs to overcome the challenges posed by H2 powered aircraft. The safe and efficient storage of H2 on-board future aircraft is the essential enabler of H2 technologies and will be one of the most complex aerospace engineering challenges that the industry has ever faced. Improvements to existing state-of-the-art solutions includes a better utilization of the available space for fuel storage, adequate insulation techniques to minimize heat leak, continued safe operations, and a weight reduction through low-weight materials, such as thermoset or thermoplastic composites, all while addressing those materials’ inherent challenges (permeability, microcracking, thermal fatigue). COCOLIH2T consortium led by Collins Aerospace is proposing a disruptive concept focused on reducing the impact of the tank’s weight and volume within an aircraft, while ensuring system safety. COCOLIH2T will not only develop a safe composite and vacuum insulated LH2 tank for the aviation sector but has the ambition to go beyond by designing and manufacturing a conformal tank through novel fabrication technologies enabling a reduction of more than 60% in production energy consumption, at least 50% in production time leading to significantly lower manufacturing costs. Additionally, the proposed structure of the tank, based on a multi-material thermoplastic composite concept, is intended to facilitate aircraft structural integration to support overall system weight reduction compared with conventional tank configurations. The key challenge that COCOLIH2T will tackle is the generation of a feasible and affordable design of a conformal variable section box-shape tank while minimizing the boil-off leakages wherever possible. COCOLIH2T’s overall system will be demonstrated at TRL4 by 2025.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.2.5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility Main Programme
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-JU-RIA - HORIZON JU Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinatore
T23 Cork
Irlanda